Here it all starts again. In the Belle-de-Mai studios, in Marseille, Plus belle la vie (“PBLV”) is preparing to turn the cameras back on in a few days. A rebirth celebrated by the Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak, the president of the regional council of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Renaud Muselier, numerous local elected officials, Rodolphe Belmer, the CEO of the TF1 group, Vincent Meslet, the general director of the production company Newen, but also the authors, actors, technicians… There were more than a hundred on Wednesday who made the trip to inaugurate the new Bar du Mistral, the most characteristic setting of the cult series, born almost twenty years ago and relaunched at the beginning of 2024 on TF1, after a year and a half of hiatus. “In October 2003, remembers Vincent Meslet, the project was called Mistral Gagnant and was summarized in around fifteen pages. »
It will become one of the flagship programs of public broadcasting and its France 3 channel, “a part of the soul of France,” Rima Abdul Malak declared on Wednesday. No less than 4,665 episodes, more than 3,200 actors… “Plus belle la vie is the longest soap opera ever produced in France, and one of the most emblematic programs on French television,” underlined Rodolphe Belmer in his speech. It is also now a “challenge, in several respects”, continued the leader. Editorial and artistic, first of all. The new version of PBLV will reflect TF1’s desire to “be a melting pot of popular culture”. It is a soap opera which, in an increasingly divided society, “unites and highlights what we have in common”, summarized Vincent Meslet for his part.
Plus belle la vie is then an industrial challenge for the Bouygues subsidiary, “which, as a broadcaster, involves significant and long-term investments,” insisted Rodolphe Belmer. The director did not specify the budget of the series, around 27 million euros per year – excluding aid from the National Cinema Center (CNC) in particular – at the time of France 3. But he insisted on the fact that, with the return of Plus belle la vie, TF1 strengthened “its role as a job creator and economic hub in the region for the entire sector”. From next year, the channel will broadcast three daily soap operas: Tomorrow belongs to us (which takes place in Sète), Ici tout commence (Saint-Laurent-d’Aigouze, in Camargue) and Plus belle la vie (Marseille ).
The impact of the soap opera on the economy of the Phocaean city is not negligible. “Newen plans to create 120 to 150 jobs,” recalls Laurent Lhardit, deputy mayor of Marseille, responsible in particular for economic dynamism. A figure three times greater, taking into account indirect jobs. “It’s important to the extent that it allows us to consolidate the ecosystem of actors, technicians… Even if they have opportunities elsewhere. After Paris, Marseille is the second destination for filming in France,” explains Laurent Lhardit. “This activity now generates more than 80 million euros in economic benefits each year. And the first version of Plus belle la vie largely contributed to the growth of the cultural and creative industries sector, which includes more than 2,000 companies,” he continues. Newen has taken possession of part of the Belle-de-Mai studios, and could develop other projects there in the future. “TF1 has already mentioned a few avenues,” slips Laurent Lhardit.