France

[FR] CSA Equalises Sound Intensity of Programmes and Advertising on Television

IRIS 2011-10:1/19

Amélie Blocman

Légipresse

The intensity of the sound of commercials has been a recurrent source of complaints from viewers to the audiovisual regulatory body (Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel - CSA) for more than ten years (an average of three complaints each week), and the legislator and the regulatory authority have now taken the matter in hand. Article 177 of Act No. 2010-788 of 12 July 2010, Article 14 of Decree No. 92-280 of 27 March 1992 (as amended), and Article 27 of the Act of 30 September 1986 (as amended) require channels to observe an even volume of sound for both television programmes and commercial breaks, and give the CSA authority to deal with this. In order to enable the editors of television services to comply with these provisions, the CSA has carried out a thorough review of the technical aspects of the matter, in cooperation with editors, producers, advertisers and sound specialists. This is essential before setting up quantitative obligations, and has made it possible to establish a method for measuring the intensity of sound that is compatible with industrial measurement equipment. The CSA has also instructed manufacturers to ensure that they do in fact apply the international recommendations so that differences in sound intensity are not reintroduced in content to be shown on television sets and other domestic equipment. Once this review was completed, the CSA adopted a deliberation on the sound intensity of programmes and advertising on television. It said it would be appropriate to continue efforts up to the stage of broadcasting to viewers using both digital television (DTV) and other methods of broadcasting (including cable, optic fibre, satellite and ADSL). The CSA’s aim is to make sure that any nuisance caused by the sound level of a commercial is no greater than that produced when changing channels. In order to achieve this, the recommendation lays down a level of -23 LUFS for the sound intensity when broadcasting commercial breaks and each commercial that is included during programmes produced before and after 1 January 2012 and during programmes broadcast live. The arrangement is to be implemented gradually so as to give those involved time to comply. Initially, the difference in sound intensity perceived between one channel and another should begin to be reduced in December 2011. Two other stages of improvement are to follow, in January 2012 and 2013, aimed at both programmes and commercials.