What just happened to a populist TV channel in France is terrifying for GB News viewers…

The French free-to-air channel C8, part of Vivendi’s Canal Plus Group, is set to be discontinued by the broadcasting regulatory body.

France’s Arcom audiovisual and digital communication authority decided not to grant the renewal of the TNT channel’s frequency to the Canal Plus Group.

The body is in the process of renewing the 15 licences for France’s terrestrial frequencies and has been auditioning existing frequency holders and new applicants.

C8 is not the only channel that failed to be renewed by the eight-member board of Arcom as the body also turned down NRJ12.

C8, known for its populist presenter Cyril Hanouna and his chat show Touche pas à mon poste, hit the headlines after racking up close to £6.3 million in Arcom fines on counts of dishonesty and political plurality.

The talk show received a record £2.9 million fine last year after host Hanouna insulted a member of the hard left party La France Insoumise.

Back in February, French deputy Sophie Taillé-Polian, a member of the left-wing and ecologist Génération.s party launched a campaign for C8 and its sister channel CNews to be stripped of their frequency.

Taillé-Polian cited sanctions against the channel for: “disinformation, racism, sexism, incitement to hate, non respect of pluralism and lack of honesty.”

Although the decision will not completely end the channel it could see a significant dent in their audience as an estimated 20 per cent of French viewers still access TV through terrestrial channels.

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Responding to the decision on X, Marine Le Pen said: “For those in power, pluralism is unbearable.

“So, little by little, they will try to make it disappear so that all the channels and radios deliver the same message as public broadcasting: a panel of all left-wing nuances.”

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Other users took to social media to express their concern over the decision with James Rizk stating: “It’s a horrible situation what’s happening to people’s freedom of expression!”

CNews, which is sometimes referred to as France’s Fox News, retained its frequency and is on the preselection list.

In a note accompanying the preselection list, Arcom said that its decision had been taken in “the interest of each project for the public with regard to the priority imperative of pluralism of socio-cultural currents of expression.”

GB News, which advocates for the right of every individual to form and share their views, has also been placed under scrutiny in the UK in the form of ad boycotts and presenters sometimes being verbally harassed while working.