France

[FR] Statutory Requirements for Certain Television Channels

IRIS 1995-6:1/10

Ad van Loon

European Audiovisual Observatory

The Decree of 9 May 1995 sets out to lay down the statutory requirements (especially the minimum percentage of European-made works and those in the French language) for those television channels that rely for their financing on payment by their audiences and which devote at least 50% of their daily broadcasting time to programmes that are governed by special conditions. General provisions concern unencrypted programmes, advertising and sponsoring, the broadcasting of cinematographic and audiovisual works, as well as the contribution to the development of cinematographic and audiovisual production and the independence of producers with respect to broadcasters.

Title II of the Decree deals with the provisions that affect services devoted to the broadcasting of cinematographic works. Those services which are principally concerned with scheduling cinematographic works and programmes on the cinema and its history should put at least 25% of their total annual resources aside for the acquisition of the broadcasting rights of cinematographic works. European cinematographic works should represent at least 60%, while cinematographic works originally made in French should represent at least 45% of the total amount of broadcasting rights that the service is obliged to acquire.