French news traffic drops sharply

French news publishers are seeing a sharp decline in website traffic, partly due to Google's new AI Overviews and changes on its Discover platform. Prisma Media, a media analytics firm, studied traffic patterns and warned that the situation could get worse if Google expands AI summaries to Discover in France.

Traffic declines by up to 28%

In September, several major French news sites reported significant traffic drops. BFM TV saw a 28.2% decline, while L'Equipe and Le Monde experienced drops of 28.1% and 19.6%, respectively. These declines are linked to Google's AI Overviews, seasonal changes, and shifts in how content is distributed on Discover.

AI summaries hit specific content harder

Prisma Media’s analysis showed that traffic declines on Google Search were most severe for content like general culture or spelling, with drops exceeding 40%. For topics such as economic news, TV, or feminine issues, declines ranged from 5% to 20%. The AI summaries are reducing click-through rates, even though the number of times content is shown remains the same.

Impact varies by news site

Maël Montarou from Prisma Media explained that the effect of AI Overviews depends on the type of news site. Hot news sites, which rely heavily on Discover, are less affected now. But if Google starts using AI summaries on Discover in France, the impact could be much greater. This is already happening in parts of Europe outside France.

New competition from YouTube and social media

Mathieu Chapon from Peak Ace warned that AI summaries on Discover could be a major threat to French news publishers. Google is also promoting YouTube channels and social media pages of publishers on Discover, adding new competition for traditional news sites.