World Cup Magazine Loses Half Its Audience in Second Episode on M6

World Cup Magazine lost more than half its audience in the space of a single evening. After drawing 2.6 million viewers on Thursday during the opening ceremony, M6’s daily show hosted by Ophélie Meunier retained only 1.22 million on Friday night, according to Médiamétrie figures.

This sharp decline pushed the program into fourth place in its time slot. TF1’s Demain nous appartient, N’oubliez pas les paroles on France 2 and France 3’s ICI 19/20 all outperformed M6’s flagship World Cup show.

The first episode, broadcast before the opening match between Mexico and South Africa, had allowed M6 to top the ratings that evening, despite considerable criticism directed at the host. Ophélie Meunier, 38, had anticipated these reservations before launch: “I won’t escape it, that’s the game. I won’t escape it, that’s for sure,” she told Léa Salamé.

A journalist who previously worked at Canal+ before joining M6 in 2016 to host Zone interdite, she was chosen for this role by Guillaume Charles, the channel’s director of programming. On set, she is accompanied by Smaïl Bouabdellah, while Laure Lepailleur, Ludovic Giuly and Johan Djourou serve as consultants.