French TV channel TF1 says Rodolphe Belmer will be appointed new CEO

PARIS (Reuters) - TF1 said on Friday Rodolphe Belmer will be appointed its chief executive office next month as the French broadcaster will split the functions of chairman of the board and CEO for a limited period of time.

This announcement comes one week after TF1 and M6, France's two biggest private broadcasters, gave up their merger plan to fend off the rise of U.S. streaming platforms, saying antitrust requests made the deal irrelevant.

"Gilles Pelisson, chairman & chief executive officer of TF1 group, will propose at the board meeting of October 27th 2022, Rodolphe Belmer be appointed as chief executive officer," TF1 said in a statement.

"On that date, the functions of chairman of the board and chief executive officer will be split. Gilles Pelisson will become chairman of the board of directors until the board meeting of February 13th 2023, when it would be proposed that Rodolphe Belmer becomes chairman and chief executive officer of TF1 group."

(Reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by GV De Clercq)