France

[FR] CSA Opinion on Draft Legislation on the Public-sector Audiovisual Scene

IRIS 2009-1:1/20

Aurélie Courtinat

On 7 October 2008, the Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel (national audiovisual regulatory authority - CSA) delivered the opinion requested by the Government on draft legislation to modernise the public-sector audiovisual scene currently being discussed in Parliament, which raises a number of issues. The CSA was concerned about the France Télévisions holding company becoming a single company - a move it had not been consulted about in advance - and commented on the importance of the company’s lists of missions and duties guaranteeing respect for the identity of each of the channels, the absence of deliberate uniformity of the editorial lines they adopted, the diversity of the people responsible for new programmes, and the constitutional requirement of diversity in the information field. Affirming that it was not required to pronounce on the appointment of the chairmen of the France Télévisions channels, the CSA nevertheless advocated limiting the removal from office of the companies’ chairmen to the sole case of their seriously failing in their duties. Declaring itself in favour of abolishing advertising on the public-sector channels, the CSA recalled that the State would have to provide the channels with the financial means of carrying out their public-service obligations and duties, which would involve attractive programming. The CSA approved all the arrangements for transposing the Audiovisual Media Services Directive included in the bill, and stressed the value of proceeding with the obligations and contributions of on-demand services as far as possible on the basis of inter-professional agreements, more particularly with a view to avoiding any delocalisation of the Internet sites concerned.