France

[FR] CSA Classifies Advertising Spot as Political Advertising

IRIS 2012-3:1/21

Amélie Blocman

Légipresse

On 13 January 2012 the audiovisual regulatory authority (Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel - CSA) announced that it had instructed the digital TV channel Direct Star to stop broadcasting a disputed advertisement, on the basis of Article 14 of the Act of 30 September 1986 (as amended) and the provisions of the first paragraph of Article L. 52-1 of the Electoral Code prohibiting political advertising. The CSA had noted that a message in favour of the Parti Contre le Cancer had been broadcast on the channel over a period of about ten days last October. The spot featured a famous professor of medicine who is a cancer specialist and president of the Alliance pour la Recherche en Cancérologie. He had spoken in the media on a number of occasions in the past to announce that he was standing as a candidate in the forthcoming presidential election. The CSA found that the content of the message broadcast classified it as political advertising, which was prohibited. In addition to instructing the channel to stop broadcasting the message, the CSA also notified the professional regulatory authority on publicity so that it would inform its members.