Niel Denounces Public Broadcasting Inquiry as a 'Circus' After Nagui’s Confrontation

Overview

• Xavier Niel, questioned Thursday as a cofounder of producer Mediawan, opened his hearing by calling the parliamentary inquiry a “circus” and accused rapporteur Charles Alloncle of spreading “fake news” on social media.
• Following Wednesday’s heated session with TV host Nagui, the commission’s president said a perjury referral may be considered for a union official whose claim about a Mediawan party at Maxim’s celebrating Delphine Ernotte’s reconfirmation appears false.
• Nagui told lawmakers Wednesday that Alloncle had “thrown [him] to the wolves” with public claims about his wealth, announced a complaint for cyberharassment filed in late January or early February, and said his family now lives under security protection; Alloncle said he has also received death threats.
• At the heart of the dispute are money and metrics, with Alloncle citing pay figures such as 2,500 euros per episode for “N’oubliez pas les paroles” and a 2020 report of a €100 million France Télévisions contract with Air Productions, while Nagui argued the deputy conflates company turnover with profit and noted he is a Banijay employee.
• The commission, created at the request of Éric Ciotti’s UDR party, has become highly polarizing as it nears the end of public hearings on April 8, after earlier testimony under oath by journalist Jacques Cardoze alleging editorial pressure on a 2024 Jordan Bardella investigation.