The France 2 show, leader in audiences every morning, will have a new competitor in January 2024, presented by Bruce Toussaint. However, the new duo of presenters do not intend to be impressed: “There is no fire in the house”
A month and a half ago, Marie Portolano, previously with Canal + and M6, joined the ranks of France’s first morning show “Télématin”, and is now working alongside Thomas Sotto who has been at the helm of the show for three years. They attract more than 700,000 viewers every day, twice as many as BFM and four times as many as CNews. They have been able to find a balance and work to gently wake us up between magazines and information. How do they react to the arrival of Bruce Toussaint on TF1?
franceinfo: “Télématin” is the number 1 morning show. Does the arrival of a new competitor with Bruce Toussaint on TF1 in January for three hours of live, information and reviews challenge you?
Marie Portalano: But it’s a challenge! In sport, the world in which I evolved, we have always said: “The athlete is better when there is a challenger”. And there it is, a new one.
Thomas Sotto: It’s a big piece that happens all the same, but it’s good, we must welcome it with serenity and humility. We must remain solid on our feet, as the athletes say. We obviously have to be vigilant, continue to work and stay in our lane.
Are you already thinking with the editor-in-chief about strengthening the show?
Thomas Sotto: We didn’t trigger Vigipirate! Everything is fine. There is a clever announcement, a clever positioning on the part of TF1 with a very good choice since Bruce Toussaint is a very good morning worker and for the rest, we manage, there is no fire in the house. It’s quiet.
Did you consider leaving when Julia Vignali chose to do another show?
Thomas Sotto: No, nor to end my life, I assure you. Obviously it disturbed me because we were a pair who worked extremely well on the air and that was destabilizing. But it’s not always comfort. Coming back to the TF1 morning show, it will do us good, it will give us a boost!
Watch this interview on video: