Temps de lecture : 6 min 29s

The morning is a key time for media consumption in France. Media usage upon awakening has its own characteristics: it is closely linked to professional and student activity, as well as to commute. Therefore, it experiences significant variations between the week and the weekend. A closer look at mornings with Médiamétrie’s media surveys and ratings.

Radio is a morning ritual

Weekday mornings are punctuated by professional and student activity. As such, this is the best time to listen to the radio. Therefore, in April-June 2024, between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m., 43.4% of French people listened to the radio every day; this represents more than 24.4 million listeners every morning[1] . Radio media experiences its daily peak at 8 a.m., with over 12.1 million listeners. 

Between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m., radio stands out as the preferred medium to accompany preparations for the day and car journeys; 31.1% of radio listening occurs on the road[2].

In terms of programmes, from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., listeners prefer general-interest programmes listened to by 19.8 % of French people, followed by music programmes (15.4 %), local programmes (7.1%) and special-interest programmes (6.8 %)[3].

Despite the growth of digital platforms, traditional radio sets (such as alarm clocks, Hi-Fi systems and car radios) continue to dominate, attracting over 20 million listeners between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.. However, digital listening is making progress: 4.8 million listeners prefer to listen to radio on their mobile phone or other digital media (notably smart speakers, computers), which now account for 21% of morning radio consumption[4].

More generally, during the 2023-2024 season, between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m., nearly 3 out of 4 people (73.3%) in France listened to the radio over the course of a month; this represents almost 41 million listeners. 13.5% of frequent listeners listen to the radio at least 24 days out of 28 between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m [5].

« Taking into account the information role – general or local – that radio plays, and the fact that it accompanies people in their morning rituals and commutes during the week, live radio predominates in the morning: it represents nearly three-quarters (73%) of the listening volume of audio content listened to between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.», said Julie Terrade, National Radio Director at Médiamétrie.

If we look at listening to audio content in a more general way – including podcasts, music streaming, music videos listened to in the background, personal music and audio books – we can see that young people between the ages of 15 and 24 prefer music between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.: they devote 77% of their listening time to it during this time slot. The biggest consumers of audio between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. are over 35 years old. They dedicate more than a fifth (21%) of their daily listening time to this time slot[6].

Television : information and entertainment upon waking

Although morning is not television's prime time, there is nevertheless a large morning audience. In the first half of 2024, almost 10 million French people were in contact with television every day on average between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.. This figure hits 18.5 million between 6 a.m. and 12 p.m[7]. The 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. time slot contributed 11% of the audience for the entire day (3 hours- 27 hours) in the first half of 2024, while the 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. time slot contributed 4%.

This morning contribution to the day's audience is more noticeable among children (4-14 years old) for whom this time slot (6 a.m.-12 p.m.) represents 17% of the day's audience (7% between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.). 

Isabelle Maurice, Director of Studies, Monitoring and Forecasting at Médiamétrie, said : « Television is a morning meeting point for an audience looking for information, togetherness, entertainment and also for children before school ». 

All 24 hour news channels enjoy a significantly higher audience share in the morning: 29.7% between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m., compared to 8.3% throughout the day. This is also the case for the RMC Story and RMC Découverte channels (Altice Média Group) in the first half of 2024. In the morning, peak audiences on 24 hour news channels are reached at 9:42 a.m., when more than one million viewers watch these channels to keep up with the latest news.

As regards the channels' strategy, several genres and types of programmes are broadcast in the morning, depending on whether it is during the week or at the weekend. Firstly, morning shows feature current affairs editions and various reviews broadcast during the week between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. With its long-standing presence on air, Télématin has established itself by attracting almost a quarter of viewers on average in the 1st half of the year with a broadcast from Monday to Saturday on France 2 from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. (the channel offers a repeat in a shorter format on Sunday mornings).   The new show launched on TF1 Bonjour ! La Matinale broadcast Monday to Friday between 7 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.  has successfully found its audience. Other morning news shows: Ici Matin , Monday to Friday on France 3, Apolline Matin , Monday to Friday on RMC Story and Good Morning Business , Monday to Friday on RMC Découverte.

The audience is rather fragmented between other channels and various programme offerings aimed at different audiences. A second kind of iconic programme in the mornings are Youth panels and programmes, broadcast during the week and at weekends: TFOU on TF1 and TFX, Okoo on France 3 and France 5, Gulli Up and Gulli Good on Gulli.

It is also worth noting Teleshopping programmes, broadcast every morning during the week and on weekends, repeats of series and soap operas, panel shows and escape, well-being and sport type documentaries. On France 2, Sunday morning is traditionally given over to religious programmes.

Internet : social media tops the list in the morning

The Internet also plays a key role in morning media practices in France. On weekdays, 35.7 million French people connect to it every morning between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. (i.e. 55.7% of French people); on weekends, this figure is 27.2 million (42.5%). The audience fluctuates regularly during the morning slot and depending on the subcategories consulted. On weekdays, between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m., 15.2 million Internet users are connected to the Internet, or 23.8% of French people. Between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., they are 25.8 million (40.2%). Between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., this reaches 29.5 million (46%). The pace of life and habits are different at weekends: there are fewer Internet users in the morning and they log on later. There are 7.8 million Internet users logged on between 6 and 7 a.m. (12.2%), 14.5 million between 7 and 8 a.m. (22.6%) and 23.4 million between 8 and 9 a.m. (36.6%)[8].

During the week, the first morning habit on the Internet is to connect to social media. In fact, Internet users primarily consult the Community Blogs/Websites subcategory. The peak occurs between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., with 61.6% of Internet users online during the time slot viewing this subcategory. Early morning Internet users turn secondly to Instant messaging. Between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., it attracts 34.9% of connected Internet users, the maximum number of visitors of the morning slot. In third position, Internet users engage in Online games, displaying a longer peak, between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m., during which 16.2% of connected Internet users play online. These activities are followed by browsing Video/Cinema, news and Music services.

At weekends, Internet users prefer the same categories, but later in the day. Peak consultations occur between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.. 58.2% of Internet users connected during this time slot consult community blogs and websites, 32.1% instant messaging services and 18.3% play games online.

In the morning, the news is consulted more on weekends than during the week. It ranks 4th, behind online games and ahead of video/cinema services.

Likewise, Retail websites occupy a more important place on weekends; they rank ahead of music. Their peak occurs from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., with 8.3% of Internet users connected during this time slot browsing the category.

Bertrand Krug, Médiamétrie//NetRatings’ Digital & Press Director, commented : « The Internet is part of the media practices of French people when they wake up. Internet users favour social media, which is the gateway to a, a set of practices, whether it involves communicating with loved ones, obtaining information, or having fun ».

When we look at 15-24 year olds, their practices are slightly different, with a greater place given to music and the even greater weight of social media. Between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., 88.3% of Internet users aged 15-24 online during this time slot consult community blogs and websites and 24% Music websites. Instant messaging attracts 25% of 15–24-year-olds online between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.  Their weekend practices are different and later: while social media remains first, instant messaging and video/cinema websites follow.

As for people aged 50 and over, they also favour social media and show a greater interest in current affairs. Between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., 44.2% of people aged 50 and over online during this time slot browse community blogs and websites. Between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., 32.4% of them use instant messaging services. News and online games closely follow each other: between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m., 19.7% of people aged 50 and over who are connected play games online, and 18.8% consult the news between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. Their weekend habits are similar although later.

Laure Osmanian Molinero