Eurosport's Heather Bowler loves the glitz of Paris

Media environment
The decision to drop advertising from public channels means TV is in a transitional phase. The redistribution of investment could benefit the major terrestrial broadcasters, some of the digital players, and daily newspapers, which don't have mass readership and are struggling against the internet. Magazines are still relatively healthy. Weeklies are really popular in France, such as news titles Le Point and L'Express, and women's weekly Elle, regarded as a national treasure.

Agencies
People in London and New York forget how close Paris is to the global media epicentre. Two of the world's biggest media companies are based here: Publicis Groupe and Havas. And Carat, the first independent media agency and the jewel in Aegis' crown, was born in Paris, as was Interpublic's global media arm Initiative.

Main differences
Paris is still quite a clubby market, where personal contacts matter. From a creative point of view, agencies lack the edge and wit of their UK counterparts, but they are brilliant at glamour and luxury.

Digital
There are quite a few small, talented digital shops here. In fact, the French have a slightly geeky side that outsiders may not be aware of. They had a precursor to the internet, called Minitel, years ago. That may explain why broadband penetration in France is very high, and mobile communications are strong.

Culture and social scene
People arrive a little later in the morning, but work later. They don't all go out for a drink together after work - instead, they have dinner with their friends and family.

!One thing we can learn from Paris It's a two-way street. The French can teach the Brits how to smarten up, and the Brits can teach the French how to loosen up.

Heather Bowler is global communications director at Eurosport, based predominantly in Paris.

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This article was first published on Media Week