France Télévisions has rejected claims that it spent up to 1.4 million euros to acquire the broadcast rights for influencer Léna Situations' concert show.
The French public broadcaster confirmed that the actual fee paid for the recording was under 200,000 euros, following inaccurate reports aired on the commercial channel W9.
The controversy began during the Tuesday, September 1, 2026 episode of the media talk show TBT9 (Tout Beau Tout Neuf), hosted by Cyril Hanouna on W9. During the broadcast, columnists renewed their criticism of public television services, targeting content creator Léna Situations.
Columnist Cyril Aabou, known on air as Raymond Aabou, presented his regular segment under an on-screen banner reading that Léna Situations had hosted a catastrophic show at Bercy and that France Télévisions bought the concert. Around the 14th minute of the second part of the show, available on M6 Replay, Raymond stated that the influencer had gathered 20,000 people at Bercy and claimed that France TV had purchased the broadcast rights for 1.2 million to 1.4 million euros, questioning whether public money could be better spent.
When fellow panelist Jean-Luc Lemoine asked on air if he was certain of those figures, Raymond replied that someone had intentionally provided him with the numbers. The claim was allowed to pass on set without immediate challenge from other commentators.
Spread of unverified claims across social media
Following the broadcast, the 1.4 million euro figure circulated widely on social media platforms on September 1 and September 2, 2026. Online posts repeating the claim accumulated millions of views, including a post by ImpactMediaFR that garnered over 3 million impressions and a post by Guigz75116 that reached over 170,000 views. Media personality Jean-Marc Morandini also shared the claim, while the TBT9 network posted a video clip of the segment on its official X account.
The broadcast rights acquisition concerns a major live performance organized on August 31, 2026, at the Accor Arena in Bercy. Léna Situations staged the massive event before 20,000 attendees to mark the final conclusion of her annual Vlogs d'août video project, as reported by French outlet 20 Minutes. The show, titled Celui où ils disent au revoir, is scheduled for re-broadcast on France 2 and the france.tv streaming platform during the late evening slot on September 12, 2026.
Background on Léna Situations and public broadcasting
Léna Situations, whose real name is Léna Mahfouf, is a prominent French social media influencer, video creator, and author who gained national fame through her lifestyle vlogs and fashion content. Her annual August vlog series attracts millions of young viewers across France, making her one of the most prominent digital personalities in the country.
France Télévisions is France's state-owned national public broadcaster, operating main channels including France 2, France 3, France 4, and France 5. As a public service entity funded by taxpayer resources, the broadcaster operates under strict financial guidelines and oversight regarding program acquisition costs.
The event took place at the Accor Arena, commercially known as Bercy, a prominent multi-purpose indoor arena located in the 12th arrondissement of Paris. The venue routinely hosts major international concerts, sporting events, and large-scale entertainment productions.
France Télévisions issues formal denial and clarification
Public reaction online led several users to question the realism of the 1.4 million euro figure in relation to the overall programming budget of France Télévisions. On Wednesday, September 2, 2026, independent television news outlet CGTV contacted France Télévisions, which formally denied the reported figures. The public broadcasting group stated that the capture and recording of the concert cost less than 200,000 euros, a figure later independently confirmed to 20 Minutes by France TV representatives.
During the September 2 episode of TBT9, columnist Gilles Verdez retracted the previous day's report on air and on X. Verdez acknowledged that the reported amount of 1.2 million to 1.4 million euros was false. He stated that 1.2 million euros represented the total production and staging cost of the concert itself rather than the TV broadcast fee. Verdez noted that France TV cited a purchase price of 200,000 euros, but he asserted that digital rights and total acquisition costs had not been fully disclosed, insinuating that additional substantial sums were involved.
Broadcaster explains acquisition policy and advertising limits
France Télévisions subsequently confirmed to W9 that the 200,000 euro sum was the exact and total amount paid to acquire the rights for both linear television broadcast and digital platform streaming. Executives at the public group defended the acquisition, describing Léna Situations as a societal phenomenon and stating that France Télévisions has a duty to highlight cultural events that mark youth history.
Management emphasized that 200,000 euros represents the average budget envelope allocated by the network for capturing live performing arts shows. The broadcaster also highlighted structural advertising rules governing public television. Commercial advertising on France Télévisions is authorized only between 6:00 am and 8:00 pm and is strictly prohibited between 8:00 pm and 6:00 am. Because the concert will air during the late evening slot, the public broadcaster cannot generate commercial ad revenue from the broadcast, making conservative spending mandatory for such programming.
