TÉLÉ MONTE CARLO, THE OLDEST EUROPEAN PRIVATE TV

Today, The Grandma has been reading about Télé Monte Carlo, the Franco-Monégasque general entertainment television channel, that was inaugurated on a day like today in 1954.

TMC is a Franco-Monégasque general entertainment television channel, owned by the French media holding company Groupe TF1.

The oldest private channel in Europe, TMC dates back to 1954, inaugurated by Rainier III, Prince of Monaco. Like several other European television channels, its first major broadcast was one relating to the country's reigning dynasty, in this case the marriage of Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly.

From Monaco and from 1954, TMC broadcasts its television's program in the south of France from Menton to the east of Marseille.

In 1984, as a result of an agreement between Prince Rainier III and the French President François Mitterrand, TMC was able to be broadcast as far west as Montpellier, France, tripling its coverage (three million potential viewers).

In 1987, the channel was carried for a few hours on M6, a French television service -which made it available to much more of France- and the channel was eventually carried by CanalSat and became available in all of France and the Indian Ocean area. The channel also won a spot on the French language digital terrestrial television scheme, demonstrating its wide appeal.

The channel was owned jointly by the TF1 Group (40%), the AB Groupe (40%) and the Government of Monaco (20%).

In 2016, TF1 bought the Government of Monaco's shares, and now owns 100% of the channel.

Until 1995, TMC was a member of the European Broadcasting Union as a part of Radio Monte-Carlo (RMC). Currently the Monégasque membership is held by Groupement de Radiodiffuseurs Monégasques (GRMC), a joint organisation by Monte-Carlo Radiodiffusion (RMC) and Radio Monte Carlo (RMC).

Since October 2022, TMC, as well as the free DTT channels of the TF1 group, have been accessible free to air, via the Astra 1 satellite. This broadcast follows a temporary interruption in encrypted broadcasting to Canal+ and TNTSAT subscribers., following a commercial dispute. However, despite the resumption of encrypted broadcasts within the Canal+ and TNTSAT bouquets, this free-to-air broadcasting continues.

TMC is therefore received free of charge in almost all of Continental Europe and North African Countries.

More information: TV Festival

All television is educational television.
The question is: what is it teaching?

Nicholas Johnson