Summary
French radio group NRJ plans to return to television through ten free, ad-supported streaming channels distributed by Samsung TV Plus and the operator Free, though it has not announced a launch date. The lineup includes the 1980s-focused Nostalgie Tube, six NRJ-branded ambient channels and three video-backed playlist channels for NRJ, Nostalgie and Chérie. Comment Ça Marche, citing Univers Freebox, reports that some sequences will use AI-generated settings featuring animals, including NRJ’s black panther emblem. The channels will run without presenters or conventional programmes. The move follows NRJ12’s closure in February 2025 after it lost its French terrestrial slot and the subsequent sale of Chérie 25. NRJ says its video views rose 31% in September and that its in-house Social Room already produces 32 hours of video each week.
Hana’s perspective
I see this as a modest but useful test of where generative visuals fit in television. FAST channels need a steady flow of inexpensive, brand-safe material, and ambient music streams can tolerate repetition better than scripted entertainment. That makes them a practical proving ground for AI-generated scenes. But distribution is the more important move: NRJ is replacing scarce broadcast spectrum with shelf space inside connected-TV and operator interfaces. For AI animation teams, the opportunity is not simply making clips faster. It is building visual systems that can sustain a channel identity for hours, clear rights checks and remain varied enough that viewers do not tune out. The unanswered questions are when the channels launch, how much of their output uses AI, and whether audiences stay with the formats.
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