 Logo of Tfou | |
| Network | TF1 |
|---|---|
| Launched | January 1, 2007; 18 years ago (2007-01-01) |
| Country of origin | France |
| Owner | TF1 with “Protécréa” (Proté-création Production) |
| Headquarters | Boulogne-Billancourt |
| Formerly known as | TF! (1997–2006) |
| Sister network | TFX |
| Format | 4:3 then16:9 |
| Running time | Weekdays
|
| Original language | French |
| Official website | www |
TFOU (French pronunciation:[tefu]) is a French children's morning programming block onTF1 andTFX. It was launched on 1 January 2007, replacingTF! Jeunesse.
TFOU is TF1's children brand, also operating as theSVOD serviceTFOU MAX. Originally, the brand started as TF1's children website in 2000, and as a TV channel in 2003 (which run until 2008). It becameTF1's children programming block in 2007. Since 2024, from Monday to Friday, the block airs in two parts onTF1 andTFX. On Saturday and Sunday, the full block airs onTF1.
TF! Jeunesse first appeared on Monday, September 1, 1997 onTF1, replacing Club Dorothée after 10 years, with the first episode ofBeetleborgs. TF! Jeunesse was created by Dominique Poussier, the director of children's television forTF1. It was wanted that this new show would distance itself from its predecessor, whose shows had often been accused by parents and theConseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel of being too violent, thusanimes disappeared, replaced by a majority of French productions. Poussier had previously created the morning programSalut les Toons, which was presented by twoCGI-generated mice, in 1996, and aired until 2000. It was given the difficult task of revitalizing children's programming on TF1, whose ratings had been in decline thanks to the popularity ofLes Minikeums onFrance 3.[1]
At the time ofLa Planète de Donkey Kong onFrance 2, Poussier suggested a program without animation and presenters using the same model in the UK fromITV'sCITV.[2] Childish voices chant the show's title: “T. F. Ouais !”, and an adult voice was the voice-over of the show (Bruno Choël, the French dub voice forJohnny Depp inPirates of the Caribbean andEwan McGregor inStar Wars). Unlike its predecessor, TF! and TFOU are produced internally under itsProtécréa unit.
In addition to new European programs, TF1 can rely on agreements withNickelodeon (broadcastingHey Arnold!) or the new Power Rangers series, known in France since 1993. But it is with the arrival of Pokémon in 2000, that the channel could find audiences equal to those ofClub Dorothée. Surfing on this wave, Digimon quickly appears.[3]
Suppose several series follow one another without making an impression. In that case, a few programs with audiences also appear (Franklin,Jimmy Neutron,Totally Spies!,Sonic Underground) and allow the channel to bounce back and resistYu-Gi-Oh! andSakura which aired onM6.
WhilePokémon was acquired byGulli in 2006, TF1 stayed a DVD distributor of the series. Pokémon had rebroadcasts on TF1 from 2009 to 2011,[4] and nowadays, TFOU MAX has seasons of the series.
After creating tfou.fr, TF1's first children's website, in 2000, a TFOU TV channel was launched to strengthen the youth offering ofTPS satellite package, of which Groupe TF1 was the main shareholder.[5] TFOU targeted a more aged audience. TFOU was launched on 23 April 2003 without a license from theCSA, so it stopped broadcasting before resuming on May 28, 2003 after being approved.[6]
The TF! programming block was rebranded as TFOU on 1 January 2007. On 28 August 2007, TFOU got a rebrand with a new logo, and the channel got renamed TFOU TV. TFOU TV was shut down on 28 February 2008, while a web TV was launched at the time.[7] Its spot was replaced byFoot School TV.
From January 8, 2024, TFOU was cut from TF1 on weekdays to be replaced by the new morning showBonjour ! hosted byBruce Toussaint. During the week, TFOU is broadcast on TF1 from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. then switch toTFX from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m, and Wednesdays until 9:30 a.m., the move allowing to give TFOU longer broadcasts, like in somepublic holidays until noon. On the weekend, TF1 still air cartoons in the same schedule on Saturday from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. and Sunday from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.[8]
