It was with great emotion that I learnt of the death of Patrick Le Lay.

All the TF1 Group teams join in the sadness of those close to him, his family and friends in this particularly painful moment. We pay tribute to the man who left his mark on the world of the French audiovisual industry.

After leading the privatisation of TF1  on behalf of the Bouygues Group, he managed this channel until the end of the year  2008 and will make it the first private channel in Europe.

For Gilles Pélisson, Chairman and CEO of the TF1 Group: "Patrick Le Lay was a visionary for the world of modern television, a daring entrepreneur who knew how to create the solid foundations of a private television group, on which we continue to build today. All my thoughts are with his family and loved ones."