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Public broadcasting in France
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The organization
Structure
The public audiovisual communication sector comprises 6 bodies , including 3 national program companies , for which Arcom plays an important role in guaranteeing their independence and ensuring that they carry out their missions properly.
6 organizations :
- France Télévisions
- Radio France
- France Médias Monde
- Institut National de l'audiovisuel (National Audiovisual Institute)
- ARTE France
- LCP French National Assembly - Public Sénat
3 national program companies:
- France Télévisions
- Radio France
- France Médias Monde
National program companies
Publicly-owned company providing national and local television services, as well as television and radio services in French overseas territories.
Public limited company providing national and regional radio services.
Public limited company in charge of foreign audiovisuel.
Other organizations
State-owned industrial and commercial establishment, responsible for preserving and promoting the country's audiovisual heritage.
Company responsible for designing and providing the programs and means necessary to carry out the missions of the European economic interest grouping ARTE, created by the treaty of October 2, 1990 establishing a European cultural channel.
Program companies responsible for programs presenting the work of parliamentary assemblies and accompanying programs.
History - Key dates in public audiovisual broadcasting
1945
Creation of French radio broadcasting (RDF)
Creation of French radio broadcasting (RDF).
1949
French radio broadcasting (RTF)
Radiodiffusion Française (RDF) becomes Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française (RTF).
1964
French radio broadcasting (ORTF)
RTF becomes the French Radio Broadcasting Organization (ORTF).
With a broadcasting monopoly, it publishes 4 radio channels (France Inter, France Culture, France Musique and France Inter Paris) and 3 TV channels (ORTF Télévision 1, ORTF Télévision 2 and a third channel as of 1972) 11 regional antennas and 7 regional general-interest channels for overseas France.
1975
Dismantling ORTF into 7 independent companies
- 3 independent, competing national television companies (Télévision Française 1, Antenne 2, France-Régions 3)
- One national radio company (Radio France)
- A production company (Société française de production)
- A public diffusion company (Télédiffusion de France)
- Institut national de l'audiovisuel (INA).
- Creation of Radio France Internationale, a subsidiary of Radio France
1982
End of state monopoly on radio and television
End of the state monopoly on radio and television and creation of the High Authority for Audiovisual Communication.
1987
Privatization of the Télévision Française 1 channel
TV channel Télévision Française 1 was privatized on April 16, 1987.
1992
Creation of France Télévisions
Creation of France Télévisions to coordinate Antenne 2 (France 2) and FR3 (France 3).
2000
Creation of the France Télévisions holding company and the France Bleu network
Creation of the France Télévisions holding company and creation of the France Bleu network to federate Radio France's local radio stations.
2005
Creation of France 4 and France 24
Creation of France 4 and France 24.
2008-2009
Creation of the holding company Audiovisuel Extérieur de la France
Creation of the holding company Audiovisuel Extérieur de la France in 2008, which became a national program company in 2009.
2010
France Télévisions becomes a single company
On January 4, 2010, following the law of March 5, 2009, France Télévisions became a single national programming company.
2012-2013
Creation of France Médias Monde
AEF merged with RF1, which owns MCD and France 24, in 2012 and became France Médias Monde in 2013.
2016
Launch of the franceinfo channel and digital supply:
The news websites of France Télévisions (Francetvinfo.fr) and Radio France (Franceinfo.fr), merged, on August 24, 2016, to give birth to franceinfo: .
2022
Digital supply launched HERE
ICI digital supply launched.
Governance
Arcom appoints the presidents of France Télévisions, Radio France and France Médias Monde for a five-year term.
It also appoints :
- 5 members of the Board of Directors of France Télévisions ;
- 4 members of the Board of Directors of Radio France;
- 5 members of the Board of Directors of France Médias Monde;
- 4 members of the Board of Directors of the Institut national de l'audiovisuel.
Missions and obligations
By virtue of their status as public companies, national program companies are entrusted by law and regulation with missions and obligations of general interest, the fulfillment of which is subject to numerous controls.
Public-interest missions
In particular, by virtue of their status as public companies, the law summonses national program companies to carry out public service missions (Law n°86-100, art. 43-11), which are specified in the companies' specifications.
The missions of national program companies :
| General mission | To offer the public a range of programs and services characterized by diversity and plurality, quality and innovation, respect for human rights and constitutionally-defined democratic principles; |
|---|---|
| Diversified supply | To present a diversified supply of programs in analog and digital modes in the fields of information, culture, knowledge, entertainment and sports; |
| Democracy and citizenship | Promote democratic debate and exchanges between different parts of the population, as well as social integration and citizenship; |
| Social cohesion | Implement actions in favor of social cohesion, cultural diversity, fight agains discrimination and women's rights; |
| Equality and diversity | Promote equality between men and women, fight against sexist prejudice, violence against women and domestic violence, ensure a better representation of the diversity of French society, particularly in overseas France, and offer programming that reflects French diversity; |
| Culture and heritage | Promote the French language and, where appropriate, regional languages, and highlight the diversity of France's cultural and linguistic heritage; |
| Creation | Contribute to the development and diffusion of intellectual and artistic creation, as well as civic, economic, social, scientific and technical knowledge; |
| Education | Contribute to audiovisual and media education, and promote foreign language learning; |
| Environment | Participate in environmental education and sustainable development; |
| Health | Provide information on health and sexuality; |
| Accessibility | Promote access for the deaf and hearing-impaired to the programs they show; |
| Pluralism | To ensure the honesty, independence and plurality of information and the expression of currents of thought and opinion; |
| International influence | Contribute to external audiovisual action, to the influence of the French-speaking world and to the diffusion of culture and language; |
| Innovation | To develop new services likely to enrich or complement their program supply, as well as new production and diffusion techniques for audiovisual communication programs and services. |
Control
National program companies are accountable for the performance of their missions and obligations. They are therefore subject to various controls.
Arcom's action
- Power to appoint SNP presidents(law n°86-1067, art. 47-4)
- Opinion on annual performance of specifications(law n°86-1067, art. 48)
- Opinion on the execution of the objectives and means contract each year(law n°86-1067, art. 53).
- Opinion on the results of companies every 4 years with regard to their strategic project(law n°86-1067, art. 47-4).
- Powers of sanction (formal notice, program suspension, financial sanctions)(law n°86-1067, art. 48-1 to 48-10)
Financial means
To pursue their public-interest missions, the national program companies (France Télévisions, Radio France and France Médias Monde) have access to public funding, a substantial part of which comes from allocations voted by Parliament.
Each year, the public audiovisuel companies receive around €4 billion in public funding (€3,949 million for 2025), divided between the 6 public bodies, including the three national program companies (for almost 90% of the funding).
This funding is supplemented by commercial revenues, notably advertising, whose contribution to the companies' budgets remains a minority, however, due to restrictions specific to public audiovisuel.
Stable and appropriate financing sources
State allocations to public audiovisuel, approved annually by Parliament, represent a predominant part of the budget of national program companies. Until 2022, this funding came from the licence fee, but is now deducted from VAT revenues.
Since 1968, the financing of national program companies has been mixed. National program companies may supplement their state funding with revenues from commercial activities, notably advertising, within limits set and updated by the legislator for each of these companies (France Télévisions' access to the advertising market was restricted in 2008).
1933
Creation of the radio licence fee
In 1932-1933, the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications introduced tax-based funding for public radio.
1949
Television licence fee
Extension of the television licence fee.
1951
Authorization for non-branded advertising
Authorization of "collective advertising" or "compensated advertising" to promote a generic product, without specifying a brand.
1968
Authorization for commercial advertising
On October 1, 1968, commercial brand advertising appeared in black and white on Channel 1.
2009
Audiovisuel licence fee changes name
The official name of the audiovisuel licence fee has changed to "contribution à l'audiovisuel public" (CAP).
2022
Abolition of the public audiovisuel contribution
A fraction of the VAT revenue is earmarked to replace the fee for a transitional period until December 31, 2024.
2025
Perpetuation of financing by a fraction of VAT
Perpetuation of financing by a fraction of VAT.
The amount of the State's contribution to the financing of public audiovisual services
The audiovisuel public sector will receive 3,949 million euros in public funding in 2025, divided between the 6 organizations as follows (the parliamentary channel is not financed in this manager).
Table: development in State contributions to audiovisuel public, in millions of euros :
| Years | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Units: in millions of euros | 3719 | 3685 | 3797 | 4027 | 3949 |
Infographic: breakdown of the French government's contribution to public audiovisuel (reference 2025, parliamentary channel excluded) :
| France Télévisions | Radio France | France Médias Monde | Arte | INA | TV5 Monde |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63% | 16% | 8% | 8% | 3% | 2% |
Public service advertising revenues and their dedicated framework
Advertising and commercial revenues represent around 12% of Radio France's revenues, 13% of France Télévisions' revenues and 5% of France Médias Monde's revenues.
The framework for these revenues is as follows:
For Radio France :
Only France Inter, France Bleu and France Info are authorized to show advertising messages. As with all radio stations, this diffusion is limited to 30 minutes per day, and 8 minutes per day between 7 and 9 a.m. (prime listening time), and capped at 17 min/day on average per quarter (and 3 min/day on average per year between 7 and 9 a.m.).
A specific ceiling limits advertising pressure on public radio stations, since Radio France's advertising revenues, excluding digital revenues, may not exceed 42 million euros per year, general interest messages excluded.
France Télévisions:
The diffusion of advertising (excluding sponsorship and generic advertising) on the national channels of the France Télévisions group is prohibited between 8pm and 6am.
During the day, advertising is authorized up to a daily average of 6 minutes per hour, compared with 9 minutes on private channels, and may not exceed 8 minutes per clock hour(12 minutes on private channels).
All France Télévisions channels are forbidden to show advertising 15 minutes before and after a program intended primarily for children under 12.
The contents
These resources enable national program companies to publish a supply of services offering content that pursues the general interest missions summonsed to them.
The services
France Télévisions, Radio France and France Médias Monde publish national, local and international television and radio services, as well as media-on-demand and online public communication services.
- Television: 5 national TV channels (France 2, France 3, France 4, France 5, franceinfo:), 24 local TV channels in mainland France (France 3 Régions network), 9 TV channels in overseas France (Outre-mer 1ère) and 1 international 24-hour news channel;
- Radio: 7 national radio stations (France Inter, franceinfo:, France Bleu, France Culture, France Musique, FIP, Mouv'), 44 local radio stations in mainland France (France Bleu network), 9 radio stations in overseas France (Outre-mer 1ère) and 2 international radio stations (RFI and MCD).
- Internet: On-demand media services (France.tv, radiofrance) and online public communication services (franceinfo:, ici, lumni...).
The content
The services published by France Télévisions, Radio France and France Médias Monde offer content that ensures the pursuit of the public service missions and obligations summonsed to the three companies.
Information
Key figures:
- France Télévisions accounts for over 60% of the news supply on national free-to-air channels (excluding news channels);
- Radio France produces over 100 hours of news every day;
- France 24 devotes most of its airtime to international news.
- France Télévisions: "France Télévisions must provide an honest, transparent, independent and pluralist supply of information and debate (Cahier des charges, art. 14) (Cahier des charges, art. 35)".
- Radio France: "Radio France must show an honest, independent and plurality supply of information (Cahier des missions et des charges, art. 3 and 4). To this end, all national programs must include news (Cahier des missions et des charges, art. 26) , which must be diversified: political, social, cultural, environmental (Cahier des missions et des charges, art. 27), consumer (Cahier des missions et des charges, art. 21) and overseas France (Cahier des missions et des charges, art. 93). It shows a continuous news programme (Cahier des missions et des charges, art. 25)".
- France Médias Monde: "France Médias Monde must develop a French vision of international news (...) offer a vision of French international news (Cahier des charges, art. 9) and facilitate understanding of economic and social issues (Cahier des charges, art. 11)."
- franceinfo: is the public service's all-news brand, available as a TV channel, radio station and digital platform. It is the result of collaboration between France Télévisions, Radio France, INA and France Médias Monde. " Its programming responds to the need for knowledge and understanding of current affairs (Cahier des charges de France Télévisions, art. 3).
- The three groups are also heavily involved in the fight against misinformation, with dedicated programs and platforms such as Vrai ou Faux, Le vrai du faux, on franceinfo: (radio, television and digital environments), initiatives such as Les Observateurs for France Médias Monde (France 24 and its digital environment).
In mainland and overseas France
Key figures:
- France Télévisions shows nearly 18,000 hours of local and regional news;
- Radio France, supported by its 44 local radio stations, produces 12 hours of local programming a day on each of the Ici network stations;
- Radio France shows 5,000 hours of programming in regional languages on certain Ici network stations, while France Télévisions offers almost 500 hours of programming in languages spoken in mainland France on the regional channels of France 3;
- The overseas France la 1ère channels (published by France Télévisions) are also involved in regional language diffusion, showing almost 2,200 hours of news in local languages.
- France Télévisions is "responsible for designing and programming national, regional and local television programs, as well as overseas radio programs (Cahier des charges, art. 1)". It must ensure the expression of regional languages by offering "regional and local programs that contribute to the expression of the main regional languages spoken in mainland France and overseas France (Cahier des charges, art. 40)".
- Radio France offers local radio stations that "emphasize proximity in their supply of information, services and entertainment (Cahier des missions et des charges, art. 25)" and that "contribute to the expression of regional languages (Cahier des missions et des charges, art. 6)".
- France Télévisions: 24 television channels and 13 regional offices
- Radio France: 44 local radio stations (including 4 in regional languages)
- 9 overseas France les 1ères TV and radio channels
- The overseas France portal hosted on the franceinfo website:.
History of the merger of the local networks of France Télévisions and Radio France :
- Since 2020: France Bleu's morning shows are gradually shown on France 3.
- 2022: Creation of the joint digital platform "ICI
- January 2025: Joint branding strategy, France Bleu and France 3 régions become "ICI".
Cultural programs
- France Télévisions accounts for nearly 65% of the show/concert supply on national free-to-air channels;
- Radio France shows 19h30 of cultural programs every day;
- Radio France shows over 420 hours of concerts by its choirs and orchestras.
- France Télévisions shows "at least one cultural program every day in the first part of the evening (Cahier des charges, art. 4)". Its supply is varied, including music programs, shows and concerts (Cahier des charges, art. 5 and 6).
- Radio France shows "magazines or program series on different aspects of national cultural life (Cahier des missions et des charges, art. 27)". In particular, its France Culture channel devotes its programming to culture, heritage and radio creation (Cahier des missions et des charges, art. 25).
- France Télévisions. Culture takes many forms on all channels: cinema, live shows, documentaries, magazines. Also, since August 2021, France 4 has offered Culturebox-labeled evening programming. It mainly shows a variety of live performances (theater, dance, opera, ballet, concerts, festivals, etc.).
- Radio France shows cultural programs on all its channels and, in particular, on its dedicated channel, France Culture. Through its commissions and events, it supports creation. Thanks to numerous partnerships, Radio France supports and organizes events that help to promote creativity and ensure that culture is passed on to the public.
- France Médias Monde also ensures " the promotion and diffusion of the diversity of cultures, in particular French and francophone, in order to encourage their influence (Cahier des charges, art. 1)".
Joint public audiovisual supply: The Culture Prime brand is a cultural supply produced by France Télévisions, France Médias Monde, Radio France, INA, TV5Monde and Arte, available exclusively on social networks.
- 4 musical ensembles (a symphony orchestra, a philharmonic orchestra, a choir and a master class) performing in Paris and the surrounding area.
- The Maison de la radio et de la musique has 2 concert halls: the Auditorium and Studio 104.
Support for creation
Key figures :
National program companies provide major support for audiovisual, film, music and radio creation.
- France Télévisions is the 1st financer of audiovisual creation and the 2nd financer of cinematographic creation in France;
- Radio France commissions and acquires nearly 300 musical and radio works a year.
- France Télévisions is subject to regulatory obligations to contribute to the development of the production of audiovisual works (Cahier des charges, art. 9). These obligations are also reflected in the quantitative commitments made by the company under its Contract of Objectives and Means.
- Radio France is required to promote " creative music, giving pride of place to works of national origin (Cahier des missions et des charges, art. 28)". It must endeavor " to encourage original creations specially intended for radio (Cahier des missions et des charges, art. 31)".
The educational supply
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Key figures:
- France Télévisions accounts for almost 50% of the animation supply on national free-to-air channels;
- Radio France children's podcasts record 2 million digital listens per month.
- France Télévisions must offer a " rich and diversified supply of programmes for younger viewers (Cahier des charges, art. 13)".
- France Télévisions is the leading partner of the animation industry in France (30 million euros per year).
- Radio France develops an educational supply for young people (Cahier des missions et des charges, art. 25).
- France télévisions :
- Okoo (4-14 years): The brand houses the entire linear and digital supply dedicated to children.
- France.tv slash (18-30 years): The brand houses the group's content for youngsters (dramas, series, documentaries, magazines, etc.).
- Radio France :
- Mouv' is a predominantly musical station aimed specifically at young people. It offers a musical program devoted to urban cultures and programs that address the concerns of youngsters. Mouv' is available on all social networks.
- Programs and podcasts for youngsters and children
- The Lumni educational platform, providing access to multimedia content (culture, knowledge and know-how) for students, parents and teachers, is published by France Télévisions with the participation of France Médias Monde, Radio France, INA, TV5Monde and Arte.
Francophonie and democratic values
France Médias Monde's content promotes France and the French language, as well as democratic and republican values worldwide.
- France Médias Monde shows in 21 languages;
- France 24 covers 521.7 million households worldwide;
- RFI covers 52 countries worldwide on FM;
- MCD covers 13 countries worldwide on FM.
Audiences
This supply of services and content enables national program companies to reach a wide audience.
Key figures 2022
- France Télévisions reaches 79% of the French population every week (all media);
- Radio France reaches 54.2% of the French population aged 15+ every week (all media);
- France Médias Monde reaches 259.6 million people worldwide every week (all media).