Glossary

A subscriber is someone who has contracted a subscription with an Internet service provider.

Purchase of diffusion time for an advertisement in a specific advertising slot.

External box connected, on the one hand, to the digital terrestrial television (DTT) reception antenna and, on the other hand, to the TV set via a Scart or HDMI socket. If the TV set is not compatible, it enables access to DTT services by relaying images and sound to the TV set. A priori, it only allows access to free-to-air channels (for pay supplies, it's a DTT decoder).

An add-on (sometimes also referred to as a plug-in) is an extension module that complements host software to provide new functionality.

The Internet Protocol address is a unique identifier used to identify each terminal connected to the Internet (computer, cell phone, etc.).

Asymmetrical digital transmission technology on the copper wires of the telephone network, used for private networks and Internet access. In France, it is also used for pay TV distribution.

Browse the page on broadband TV reception

A public administrative body to which the State has entrusted part of the management of radio frequencies (which are in the State's public domain), through the tasks of planning model, managing the siting of transmitters, monitoring and finally issuing certain radio authorizations and certificates. It works closely with the licensees, including ARCOM, which manages audiovisual frequencies.

A person who, in view of the nature of his duties, has taken an oath before a judge to perform his duties "well and faithfully" and not to reveal or use anything that may come to his knowledge during the performance of his duties.

An algorithm is an unambiguously determined finite sequence of operations or instructions for solving a problem or obtaining a result. In the digital world, algorithms are used to combine information to solve a problem and produce results (simulation, anticipation, notice, comparison, etc.).For an algorithm to be implemented by a computer, it must be expressed in a computer language (Source: Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés CNIL).

The notion of "problem" is understood here in the very broad sense of a task to be carried out, such as sorting objects, summonsing resources, transmitting information, translating text, etc. The algorithm receives input data, such as the list of objects to be sorted, the description of the resources to be assigned, the description of the requirements to be met, the information to be transmitted and the recipient's address, or the text to be translated, and produces output data, such as the list of sorted objects, the resource-requirement associations, a transmission report, the translation of the text submitted as input, and so on.

Algorithms, programmed in the form of computer software, are omnipresent in the digital world. They are the necessary complements to data, their primary function being to sort, organize, process and present data, transforming it from raw material into an elaborate product, so that it can meet the needs of users.

The uses of algorithms in today's world are numerous: financial institutions, traffic prediction (road, sea, air), medical image analysis, etc.

>> Read also: FrenchSuperiorAudiovisualCouncil labreport - The role of data and algorithms in access to content

Content-based algorithmic approaches

For content-based notices, all so-called "ranking or listing" algorithms first take into account content and similarities between content (subject, title, keywords, strings, etc.). The algorithmic approach focuses on the content itself, not the user.

Content-based algorithms are widely used by online press sites in particular, as they enable readers to be offered points of view and article angles related to the article previously browsed.

Algorithmic approaches based on content and the user

The algorithmic approach goes beyond the content-based sorting functions of algorithms by personalizing content highlighting according to the user's profile and preferences. The algorithm's role is to match content attributes to those of the user.

This use of user consumption data is summoned "collaborative filtering" and can be applied in two ways. Passive" collaborative filtering doesn't summon the user's input, as he or she is not directly browsed for opinions or preferences. Active" collaborative filtering , on the other hand, takes account of user input.

For example, the Facebook social network uses passive collaborative filtering: it collects user information and interactions "in the background" and deduces their tastes and preferences.

Notice algorithms

Notice algorithms facilitate the search and extraction of relevant information for the user. When a scheme wants to suggest information of interest to the user, it must be able to predict its relevance and interest.

Digital platforms suggest content using notice algorithms. For example, when doing a search on the Google search engine, a set of algorithms determines the importance of indexed content that will be displayed and therefore suggested to the user. On a social network (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.), a set of algorithms decide what content to display on the news feed, based on various pieces of information such as the user's tastes or reactions, the latest content proposed, etc.

This IT technique, known as notice schemes, is used in a wide range of fields. The main criteria governing these algorithms are: the user's preferences and consumption history, the characteristics of the content (source, duration), its success (number of views, shares, comments), and so on.

In order to offer interesting content to users, it is necessary to collect information on their behavior. For example, statuses and articles shared on Facebook, products bought or browsed on Amazon, music tracks and playlists on Spotify or movies and series watched on Netflix are all observed.

This equipment is placed after the raking antenna to amplify the level of a digital TV signal when it is too weak to be properly conveyed by cable to the receivers present in one or more homes.

A company or organization that shows an advertisement for its products or services. The advertiser is a client of advertising agencies.

A scheme generally equipped with a parabolic reflector to receive satellite signals. Its size and orientation come under the control of the household where the equipment is installed, in relation to the position of the geostationary satellite you wish to receive.

Antenna generally installed on the roof of a home. It enables terrestrial reception by picking up TV channel signals in areas covered by a transmitter, then redistributing them to the dwelling(s).

An antivirus is a program designed to fight agains computer viruses on the equipment on which it is installed.

In view of the limited nature of the terrestrial resource, frequencies are allocated to private radio and TV stations via a licensing procedure known as a "call for tenders". Each call for applications is preceded by a public consultation, at the end of which ARCOM defines the characteristics to be met by applicants. ARCOM then holds public hearings with each candidate it has received. Following these hearings, agreements are drawn up with the selected candidates. Finally, ARCOM's College issues the authorizations at plenary meetings.

Browse the section on frequency management

In computing, an app is a program that performs one or more automated tasks or functions (e.g. office tools, gaming or programs for accessing videos, browsing news, booking tickets or managing bank accounts). Applications can be installed on a computer, phone or tablet.

Weekly meeting of the Arcom College at which official Arcom decisions are taken. This meeting is also summoned the "plenary college".

Browse the agendas of the plenary meetings

Number of people who watched a TV or radio program.

Average audience share for a given period.

Percentage of people who watched a program for at least one second over a given period of time compared with the total number of people with access to this program.

A device installed in a household by Médiamétrie that automatically measures all television programs watched.

Voice-over describing the important visual elements of an audiovisuel program to make it accessible to blind or partially-sighted people. By extension, all the technologies that make this possible.

All audiovisual program companies wholly or mainly financed by the French State (i.e. France Télévisions, Arte, France médias Monde, LCP-Assemblée nationale, Public Sénat and Radio France).

Sequence presenting images taken from the programs of a channel or another channel in the same group. Certain forms of self-promotion may raise questions of professional ethics, as they are sometimes akin to surreptitious advertising, a practice sanctioned by ARCOM.

An administrative body that acts on behalf of the State and has the power to make notices, decisions, regulations and legal sanctions in a specific sector. An AAI is therefore independent of the government.

Private, self-regulating trade association to which advertisers submit their commercials, especially TV commercials, before they are broadcast on TV channels.

Like an AAI, an API is an administrative body independent of the government and entrusted by the legislator with a mission of service in the general interest. Arcom is an API responsible for guaranteeing freedom of audiovisual communication in France. It has the same powers as an AAI, but unlike an AAI, it has legal personality and its own resources.

short TV sequence that shows extracts from a program before its diffusion, specifying the day and time of the program, in order to encourage viewers to watch it.

BitTorrent is the world's most widely used peer-to-peer (P2P) data streaming protocol. It was conceived in 2001 and requires the use of software (a BitTorrent client) to connect to other users and participate in file exchanges.

Blocking on the Internet involves preventing access to a particular domain name, Internet Protocol address or online service, using specialized network traffic management tools.

It connects a user's equipment to his or her Internet service provider, establishing an Internet Protocol (Internet Protocol) link. In France, broadband TV distribution functions are generally handled by another box (known as a "TV box").

The box, or set-top box, can be a multi-service modem providing access to services offered by Internet service providers (television, telephony, Internet). This is known as a "broadband box". But it can also be an electronic device enabling local or remote access to multimedia content. This is known as a "TV box".

Distribution network historically using coaxial cables. It is now used for the distribution of television services as well as for Internet access and telephony.

The obligations of public broadcasters are defined by a set of specifications laid down by decree. In 2009, the mission statements of France 2, France 3 and France 5 were replaced by a single set of specifications for France Télévisions.

A method for collecting images or sounds without the interlocutor's knowledge.

Period preceding a presidential election during which candidates and their supporters promote their candidacies. Arcom sets the duration of this campaign and determines the conditions for the production, programming and diffusion of programs related to this campaign.

Television services not established in France or any other European country covered by the Audiovisual Media Services (AVMS) Directive.

This schedule is the result of an interprofessional agreement. It specifies the timescale for diffusing a cinematographic work on the various existing media: cinema, video, cinema channels, other channels, on-demand services.

Encrypting data means protecting content by making it unusable or unreadable for anyone who doesn't have the encryption key. For Wi-Fi Internet connections, the encryption key (commonly referred to as the "Wi-Fi password") prevents users of terminals without the "password" from connecting to this Wi-Fi access, and ensures the confidentiality of data exchanges between the modem or box and the computers or terminals connected to it.

Made up of the Chairman and the six Arcom Councillors, the College is Arcom's governing body. It meets at least once a week to make official Arcom decisions.

Any reproduction, representation or exploitation of an object protected by an intellectual property right without the authorization of the rights holders or the law constitutes an act of counterfeiting. Counterfeiting is an offence punishable by criminal and civil penalties, with a maximum penalty of 3 years' imprisonment and a 300,000 euro penalty notice.

Tax levied on listeners and viewers to finance public audiovisuel (France Télévision, Arte, Radio France, France Médias Monde and INA).

Arcom's agreement with a chain makes provision for a number of obligations, both general and specific to the chain, which the latter is required to respect.

The tendency for the IT, telecoms and audiovisual industries to converge, or even merge, resulting in the availability of all types of content on all types of terminals via all types of networks.

This is one of the legal sanctions applied by ARCOM in the event of a proven breach by a channel or radio station of one of its obligations. It is the equivalent of a warning.

The French intellectual property code groups together all legislative and regulatory texts concerning intellectual property. It is divided into three parts: literary and artistic property, industrial property and the application of these texts to the French overseas territories and Mayotte. Literary and artistic property is divided into three books dealing successively with copyright, neighbour rights and general provisions. (Source : www.legifrance.gouv.fr)

Creative Commons are non-exclusive licenses under which a rights holder authorizes the public in advance to make certain uses of his or her work free of charge, subject to compliance with certain conditions (e.g. no commercial exploitation of the work). These conditions vary according to the Creative commons license chosen by the rights holder.

Crowdfunding, or participative financing, refers to transaction tools or methods that summon the public to finance a project in a disintermediated way. It can take the form of a donation, with or without consideration, a loan or an investment.

(Territorial Audiovisual Committees): ARCOM's regional offices, they help keep the regulatory body informed. They have real decision-making power over the management of local TV and radio stations. In particular, they manage the instruction and renewal of authorizations, and can also organize public consultations.

Data mining or data-mining activity can be defined as "an automated search process that focuses on a set of digital data with the aim of discovering new knowledge or new ideas" (French superior council of artistic and literary property's Mission relative au " text and data mining " (exploration de données), Rapport établi par : Mr. Jean Martin, mission chairman, and Ms. Liliane de Carvalho, mission rapporteur, July 2014).

See Direct downloading

An external box placed between the satellite dish and the TV set, which receives and processes a satellite signal and transmits images and sound to the TV set via a SCART or HDMI socket.

The freedom of communication of audiovisuel services must be subject to ethical rules regarding the information they show. ARCOM is responsible for ensuring, for example, respect for the individual and human dignity, non-discrimination, the maintenance of public order and the honesty of information.

For a search engine, delisting means no longer proposing certain content or URLs in the answers provided to user queries.

A digital native is a person who has grown up in a digital environment. Born between the late 1980s and early 2000s, he or she is steeped in digital culture: the Internet, the Web, computers, social networks, gaming, etc.

This is the European directive laying down a common set of rules for all service editors in the European Union.

Browse the revised AVMS Directive

Company offering one or more TV channel supplies by contract. (Example: CanalSat, BIS télévisions, Bouygues Télécom, Free, Orange, Numericable, SFR, etc.).

The DNS or Domain Name Scheme links a domain name to an Internet Protocol address. Internet service providers generally provide their customers with DNS servers, but there are also open servers such as those provided by Google Public DNS or OpenDNS.

The notion of public domain covers works of the mind which, once the legal period of protection has expired (seventy years after the death of the author), are no longer protected. Works in the public domain no longer belong to anyone, and can be used by anyone, subject to respect for moral rights, which are perpetual, inalienable and imprescriptible.

Audio coding used by high-definition digital terrestrial TV channels.

The right to accept or object to the fixation of one's image or its diffusion on television.

Copyright is the set of rights granted to the author of a work of the mind (novel, song, software, etc.). In France, royalties are governed by the French intellectual property code.

The right of reply allows any individual or legal entity that has been accused of an offence, notably on radio or television, to respond to comments made about them that are likely to damage their honor or reputation.

Moral right refers to a set of prerogatives granted to the author of a work of the mind: the right to respect for his name, his status and his work; the right to decide on the disclosure of his work and to define the conditions thereof; the right of withdrawal and repentance. The author's moral right is perpetual, inalienable and imprescriptible. Performers have the right to respect for their name, status and performance.

Economic rights enable the author to choose whether to prohibit or authorize the exploitation of his or her work by a third party, and to receive remuneration for doing so. Unlike moral rights, which are perpetual and inalienable, economic rights are limited in time and can be assigned to a third party: they are available to the author throughout his lifetime, and to his rights holders for 70 years after his death.

The French intellectual property code grants certain creative actors who are not authors (e.g. performers, producers of phonograms and videograms and audiovisual communication companies) rights "neighboring" copyright.

A technique whereby Internet users download computer programs without their knowledge. These programs, sometimes malicious, can be downloaded without requiring any specific action on the part of the user. They can also be camouflaged inside a third-party program downloaded voluntarily by the user.

See Digital Rights Management.

European standard for digital terrestrial television diffusion, used in France and by a majority of countries in the rest of the world. Its successor is DVB-T2.

European subtitling norms.

Absolute gap between the minimum and maximum amplitude of a sound over a certain period of time. The lower the dynamic range, the louder the sound, and vice versa.

A television sequence, commonly summoned an "advertising slot", in which commercials are inserted to clearly identify them as such and to separate them from the rest of the program, before and after their diffusion, by means of an aural ( jingle) and visual indication.

Public or private companies that program television or radio programs, regardless of the broadcasting method.

DTT transmitter operated by a local authority in order to ensure territorial continuity of reception via the rake antenna (owners of buildings that interfere with DTT reception can also use this method, as can wind farm operators (cf. Article 30-3 of law no. 86-1067 of September 30, 1986).

Programmes shown on France Télévision and Radio France that give a voice to political parties, trade unions and professional organizations, enabling them to make their proposals directly known to public opinion.

A program shown before prime time (often referred to as : Access prime time).

A digital fingerprint is a unique identifier calculated according to a precise method as of a computer file (e.g. audio or video content). With automatic content recognition technologies, two relatively similar pieces of content will normally have relatively similar digital fingerprints.

Created in 2014 by the European Commission, thisnetwork brings together the heads of the regulatory authorities of the European Union member states responsible for audiovisual matters.

Browse the pages on European audiovisuel regulation.

Certain major sporting events that cannot be broadcast live exclusively on pay-TV.

The law makes provision for exceptions to the enforcement of copyright (article L. 122-5 of the French intellectual property code). When a work has been disclosed, there are 13 legal exceptions, such as representation within the family circle, short quotations or reproduction by libraries for conservation purposes or to preserve the conditions of on-site browsing.

Entity offering customers and Internet users access to an Internet connection and various online services.

High-speed distribution of digital data over a flexible fiber, usually glass-based, using a laser beam.

Filtering is a set of techniques designed to limit access to certain content normally accessible on the Internet. Filtering can be based on blacklists of keywords or prohibited addresses, or on automatic content recognition technologies.

See Automatic content recognition technologies.

See Firewall.

The most widely used terrestrial analog radio transmission norm, compared to its predecessor AM (amplitude modulation). Frequencies range from 87.5 MHz to 108 MHz.

The strategy of weakening massively infringing websites by "hitting" them in the wallet, i.e. limiting their ability to make financial profits.

Electromagnetic waves with frequencies below 3,000 GHz. These are used to show television and radio programs. The Hertzian spectrum refers to all the frequencies on which radiocommunications schemes can operate. In mainland France, television frequencies are grouped into 6 multiplexes.

Digital rights management schemes make it possible to identify and describe content and the rights attached to it, and to control the implementation of the rules of use and distribution defined by rights holders.

Chronological arrangement of TV and radio channel programs.

Each of Arcom's advisors chairs several thematic working groups to ensure day-to-day follow-up of Arcom's missions, and to examine issues that fall within the competence of Arcom. Hearings of audiovisual industry players are held on a regular basis.

Graphic charter used to give distinctive visual characteristics to a TV channel.

The hashcode is the result of a cryptographic hash function that calculates the digital fingerprint of a digital file as of a very high probability that two different files will give two different fingerprints, so that two virtually identical files may have completely different hashcodes, despite their similarity.

Connected TV norm, the subject of a broad European consensus, which enables channels to manage their interactive data directly, by building it up as of data broadcast and/or exchanged over the Internet if the TV set is connected to it.

High-resolution image format, providing better image quality than standard definition. A video is considered HD if each image has at least 720 rows and 1280 columns of pixels, i.e. almost a million pixels.

Norms and interfaces for interconnecting and transporting digital data between audiovisuel equipment (e.g. DTT adapter and TV set), replacing the Scart socket.

A hosting provider is a natural or artificial person who provides, free of charge or for a fee, the storage of signals, writings, images, sounds or messages of any kind intended to be made available on the Internet.

Period of the day when a media outlet's audience is at its highest.

A hotspot is a space where the public can benefit from Internet access offered by a third party (hotel, restaurant, airport, museum, etc.), usually by means of a Wi-Fi type wireless connection. A hotspot can offer free or paid Internet access.

Interoperability is the ability of a computer scheme to work with other existing or future computer products or systems, without restrictions on access or implementation.

See Internet TV.

The automatic video playback feature automatically launches a new video at the end of the previous one, with no action required on the part of the user. On the YouTube platform, for example, at the end of each video, a contrary to appears, indicating the name of the next video and its forthcoming launch.

See Streaming.

Software is a series of computer instructions that can be performed by a computer or electronic terminal. Software can be "applicative" (applications such as Word, elements of the Libre Office suite, Photoshop or Firefox) or it can be "basic" or "scheme" (utilities, operating systems such as Windows, Linux, Android or iOS).

The largest parliamentary group in the French National Assembly. It differs from the "bloc de la majorité" (majority bloc) used to account for politicians' speaking time on TV and radio. The majority bloc includes members of the government, the parliamentary majority and the President's aides.

Malware, also known as malicious software, is a computer program developed with the aim of damaging a computer scheme, without the consent of the user whose computer is infected.

Automated television audience measurement scheme set up by Médiamétrie.

The Millenials (or Generation Y) are people born between 1980 and 2000. This generation is considered to be naturally more at ease with information technologies, and the Internet in particular, than previous generations. It can be associated with the whole range of technologies and applications known as Web 2.0.

A means of securing (internet) access is a scheme designed to prevent unlawful use of Internet access, which can be installed by a user on his or her computer or other equipment enabling him or her to access the Internet.

A set of norms, including video and audio coding/compression, developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group, a group of experts created in 1988 by ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission).

A set of norms applicable to audio and video coding, transport and storage. For French digital terrestrial television, the usual bitrates average around 4 Mbit/s for standard resolution (SD), and 15 to 20 Mbit/s for high resolution (HD). This is the norm for free-to-air SD channels in mainland France.

A set of norms used notably on DTT for "AVC" (Advanced Video Coding) or "H264" coding, which offers significant gains over MPEG-2 video coding. This is the standard used for HD channels, pay-TV channels and overseas channels.

Legal sanctions applicable by Arcom in the event of a proven breach by a channel or radio station of one of its obligations. Unlike other Arcom interventions, it can impose obligations on the offender.

A warning issued by Arcom in the event of a proven failure by a channel or radio station to meet one of its obligations.

Arcom's social responsibilities involve the entire sector in the pursuit of social cohesion objectives such as promoting the diversity of French society, fighting agains racial, religious or sexual discrimination, public health, the rights of disabled people and the French-speaking world.

A technological protection measure is a technology, scheme or component which, in the normal course of its operation, is intended to prevent or limit certain acts of use of a work not authorized by the rights holders. Examples include copy protection schemes and access control mechanisms.

Refers to a group of TV or radio channels shown on the same channel, i.e. on the same frequency range. DTT divides its channels into 6 multiplexes.

Operation consisting in assembling signals from several distinct sources, for example several TV channels or several radios, into a single composite signal for transmission on the same frequency.

Quantity corresponding to the logarithmic ratio of two sound powers, the second being a reference value. This is an objectivise measurement.

The notice and take down proceedings were introduced in the United States in 1998 by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Its aim is to obtain the removal ("take down") of unlawful content from an Internet site by sending a notice to a content hosting provider, prior to any intervention by the judicial authorities. In France, this scheme was introduced by the LCEN law (loi pour la confiance dans l'économie numérique) of June 21, 2004.

Online service acting as an intermediary between a source and destination site. Instead of showing hypertext links to the destination site directly on the source site, source site administrators may choose to direct Internet users first to a link obfuscator, often financed by display advertising, which forces users to perform a manual operation before displaying hypertext links to the destination site. This technique is used, for example, to complicate the automatic collection of links by third parties on a links directory.

A distributor's supply that must include public service channels, generally DTT and a few others. It is included in the TV services contract as part of triple-play supplies, unlike the other channels, which are optional.

A supply is legal when the works it contains are offered with the agreement of the rights holder(s) (authors, publishers, performers, producers, etc.). Legal supplies may be free or paid for. Numerous legal platforms exist on the market. Arcom has set up a scheme for labeling and listing legal supplies, to help guide users towards legal practices.

Programs intended for television diffusion: dramas (TV films, series, cartoons), documentaries, short films, on-set programs, concerts, adaptations and retransmissions of theatrical, operatic and choreographic performances.

A variation in magnetic and electric fields which can be generated by an electric current flowing through a matched transmitting antenna, and which can propagate over long distances and carry useful information. It can be received by a suitable receiving antenna.

Open source characterizes software whose source code is public, modifiable and freely exploitable under certain conditions.

A method of distributing content over the Internet without the intermediary of Internet service providers, beyond the routing of data. OTT diffusion is defined as opposed to traditional television service diffusion networks (networks managed by ISPs, terrestrial networks, cable, etc.). Example: Apple TV, Molotov, Chromecast, etc.

See Peer-to-peer.

A group of households or individuals chosen to be representative of certain criteria in a survey or poll.

Audience for a program in relation to all programs shown at the same time.

This term refers to the entire French audiovisual supply, including free-to-air and pay TV channels and radio stations, both national and local.

Peer-to-peer or P2P is a technology used to exchange files and digital content between different users connected simultaneously to the Internet. The files exchanged are stored on the computers or terminals of the various users. Exchanges are generally carried out using software (a P2P client) on a specific peer-to-peer network. In principle, content retrieved by a user from his or her peers is then automatically shared with other members of the network.

A firewall filters and controls network connections. In particular, it secures computers and local networks connected to the Internet by protecting them against intrusions, or by disabling access to online services deemed dangerous or inappropriate.

Term used when a company, artificial person or individual contributes to the financing of an audiovisuel program in order to promote its name, brand, image or activities.

During a presidential election, the reserve period marks the end of the official campaign. It begins at midnight on the eve of the vote, i.e., generally on the Friday preceding the vote. During this period, neither candidates nor the media are allowed to show political propaganda. It is also forbidden to show any new polls until the last polling station has shutdown. About the election

In a presidential election, the period between the date of publication of the list of candidates and the start of the official campaign.

Name given to the voice-recognition software used to subtitle a program.

Insertion of a product, service or brand in a drama, in return for payment and for advertising purposes.

Insertion of a product, service or brand in a drama, in return for payment and for advertising purposes.

Political plurality is the cornerstone of any democracy, and is enshrined in our Constitution. It is based on the existence of different political parties, offering voters freedom of choice. The audiovisual media play a major role in the diffusion and expression of this diversity. That's why Arcom defines the rules that enable them to ensure plurality on their airwaves.

A radio program made available to the public after its diffusion, so that it can be listened to and/or downloaded for a certain period of time. There are two main types of podcast:

Catch-up podcasts, offering replay of radio programs, enabling listeners to listen again on demand.

Native podcasts, original content created specifically for public diffusion, without having to be broadcast on the radio.

Portability refers to the ability of a subscriber to access online content services legally provided in his or her Member State of residence when temporarily present in a Member State other than his or her Member State of residence. Portability also refers to the ability of a program or content to be adapted more or less easily so that it can function or be browsed in different environments (compatibility with different operating schemes, reading on devices of different brands, etc.).

Final medium containing the sound and image of a program delivered to the TV channel for diffusion.

The state prosecutor is the head of the public prosecutor / prosecution service. He is responsible for initiating criminal proceedings as of complaints, reports and denunciations addressed to him. He directs investigations and decides whether to prosecute the perpetrator of an infringement of the law.

Refers to any type of programme shown by a TV channel or radio station (news programme, TV movie, documentary, etc.).

Programs intended for one-off diffusion: news, sports competitions, weather reports, etc.

Programs for one-off diffusion: news, sports competitions, weather reports, etc.

Programs that can be shown several times without significant loss of value: dramas, films, documentaries, etc.

A protocol is a set of rules and proceedings for sending and receiving data over a network, between two or more entities connected to the network (computers, mobile terminals, applications, peripherals, etc.). Some protocols, for example, specialize in sending e-mail, others in peer-to-peer file exchanges or in streaming content diffusion.

A proxy is a scheme that acts as an intermediary, relaying requests bilaterally between two parties (usually between a client and a server) to facilitate or monitor their exchanges. Proxies are used to speed up browsing, bypass filtering/blocking measures or enable anonymous browsing.

Any form of televised message shown for remuneration or other consideration for the promotion of products or services (cf. art. 2 of decree no. 92-280 of March 27, 1992, as amended).

Non-branded advertising for a set of generic products.

Obligation for a TV channel licensed in France to show a certain percentage of European cinematographic and audiovisual works or works of original French expression.

A norms that enables FM radio stations to show digital data in addition to their program. Its best-known uses include radio name display, automatic radio tracking and traffic announcements.

Radio stations that are not financed mainly or entirely by the state. They are classified into five categories.

Radio channels of the public broadcasting company Radio France, whose sole shareholder is the French state.

One of the legal sanctions, in the form of a call to order, applicable by Arcom in the event of a breach by an audiovisuel communication service.

Reception of content transmitted by Hertzian waves from transmitters covering the territory. This reception is possible thanks to an antenna (rake) and a compatible receiver.

Reception of content transmitted by Hertzian waves from satellite transmitters. This is made possible by a satellite dish and a compatible receiver.

An advertising sales house acts as an intermediary between a company proposing an advertising campaign (advertisers, agencies) and a company with the space to show it (media, especially TV and radio channels). The agency may be external or internal to one or more channels.

network bringing together the heads of 29 French-speaking audiovisuel regulation authorities. It was created in Ouagadougou on July 1, 2007.

The French Superior Audiovisual Council and the French-speaking world: REFRAM

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a European regulatory text that frames data processing equally throughout the European Union. It came into force on May 24, 2016 and is in application on May 25, 2018.

The RGPD follows on from the French Loi Informatique et Libertés of 1978 establishing rules on the collection and use of data on French territory. It has been designed around 3 objectives: strengthening people's rights, making data-processing players more accountable, and making regulation more credible thanks to enhanced cooperation between data protection authorities.

All companies that manage the processing of personal data will be obliged to comply with the RGPD.

This European regulatory text now requires content platforms to explain their data processing policies.

Sometimes used to designate catch-up TV. Also known as catch-up TV.

Distribution network, historically using coaxial cables. Now used to distribute TV services as well as Internet access and telephony.

Distribution network using one or more satellites and requiring the use of an adapted antenna and receiver. It can provide access to TV, radio or even Internet services.

Network bringing together the heads of 26 Mediterranean audiovisuel regulation authorities. It enables them to exchange views on the common challenges they face. It was created in Barcelona on November 29, 1997.

The French Superior Audiovisual Council and the Mediterranean network: the RIRM

Digital terrestrial radio program supply.

DAB+: everything you need to know about digital terrestrial radio

A router is a piece of computer equipment used to interconnect electronic networks and route data over them according to pre-established rules (protocols). Routing is the process of routing data sent over networks. At home, a broadband or fiber-optic box can be likened to a router.

A seedbox is a private computer server dedicated to receiving and transmitting computer files. Seedboxes generally use the BitTorrent peer-to-peer protocol to send and receive data. Seedboxes are often offered by specialized service providers, and users connect remotely to their seedbox to retrieve downloaded content or store content for sharing.

Includes radio, television and on-demand audiovisual media services.

Any service of communication to the public by electronic means intended to be received simultaneously by the public as a whole, or by a category of the public, and whose main program consists of an ordered sequence of programs comprising images and sounds.

Television program classification scheme using pictograms to indicate whether a program is not suitable for certain age groups.

On the Internet, a mirror site is an exact copy of another website. Mirror sites make it possible to provide several copies of the same information on several servers, usually completely separate from each other. The creation of a mirror site involves only the replication of the original site at a given moment, with no subsequent synchronization between the original site and the mirror sites.

Service, also summoned non-linear audiovisual media service, offered by an editor. It enables users to view programs selected from a catalogue whenever they wish, on the medium of their choice (TV set, computer, tablet, etc.), either free of charge or for a fee.

The term social listening refers to a scheme or approach for continuously observing what is found on social networks about a particular topic.

French public audiovisual media services group. Ex: France Télévision, Arte, Radio France, France Médias Monde and INA.

Standard definition with fewer pixels than high definition (HD): an SD program will therefore be of poorer visual quality.

Specific subtitling that provides additional information to enable deaf and hard-of-hearing people to transcribe certain details of a program's soundtrack in addition to the dialogue itself.

It groups all electromagnetic waves according to their frequency, wavelength or energy. It is divided into several broad categories, each with its own specific characteristics.(source ANFR)

From 3 Hz to 300 MHz. This category covers waves with the lowest frequencies in the spectrum. Relatively easy to transmit and receive via antennas, radio waves are used to transmit information (radio and television, for example). The electromagnetic waves that make up the spectrum need no material support to travel: an electromagnetic field surrounds us at all times, just as the air surrounds us (source ANFR).

By extension of the notice and take down concept, the stay down concept consists of using technical measures designed to prevent unlawful content that has already been the subject of a takedown demand from being put back online on a website. This principle generally involves the use of automatic content recognition technologies.

Stream ripping consists in extracting the content of an audio or video stream shown in a diffusion format, in order to save it. This operation may involve converting and re-encoding the stream initially captured, to a format more suitable for final storage on a computer terminal (computer, digital tablet, telephone, etc.) or on a physical medium.

Streaming is the process of sending audio or video content over the Internet in continuous mode and playing it back on the fly, as and when the content is shown, without final storage on the receiving terminal. The streams in question can be live broadcasts of radio or TV programs (live streaming), or programs browsed on demand (YouTube, Netflix, catch-up TV supplies, etc.). Streaming is to be distinguished from downloading, which requires the entire content to be retrieved before it can be browsed.

See Video on demand with contract.

An information scheme brings together computer, electronic and telecommunications means for organizing, processing and diffusing information automatically.

Techniques for automatically recognizing audio or video content or images by comparing digital fingerprints. In general, schemes of this type produce a digital fingerprint as of a content to be tested, then compare this fingerprint with so-called reference fingerprints contained in a pre-established database. Recognition is then possible in the event of a partial or total match between the fingerprint tested and one of the fingerprints in the database.

Direct downloading, or "DDL" for direct download, is the direct streaming of a file from a server or hosting platform on the Internet to a client (the downloader). Once downloaded, the content in question is generally saved on the user's terminal or on removable media (USB key, statement of case, DVD, etc.). Direct downloading is to be distinguished from peer-to-peer file exchange (between users) and continuous streaming (not intended to be saved).

Programmes of various types, including game shows and entertainment programs, involving the recording and/or diffusion, over a long period of time, of people's actions, gestures and words, in order to observe their behavior and emotions, according to a scheme created by the production company.

Reality TV at 20: development and influence

Technology that enables TV channels to show additional data in text form, accessible via a "teletext" button on the TV remote control.

A television set enabling access to additional content or services via a direct Internet connection (wired or wireless) or indirectly via a box itself connected to the Internet.

Analog television broadcasting method, discontinued in France for both terrestrial and satellite broadcasting in 2011. It did not allow for computer processing, notably video compression, and consumed more frequencies than digital diffusion.

Service that makes programs available for a limited time after they have been shown on a television channel.

Diffusion of television signals via electromagnetic waves.

Internet protocol television, or Internet ProtocolTV, refers to the possibility of accessing conventional television services via Internet Protocol (Internet Protocol) rather than via cable or satellite. This practice tends to increase the diversity of services a user can access from his or her television set. The term can also be used to list the viewing of TV streams via the Internet on a terminal other than the TV set (computer, telephone, tablet).

Diffusion technology that allows digital television to be received via a rake antenna. It replaced analog diffusion as of 2005.

Digital terrestrial television (DTT) for mobile receivers, such as those built into cell phones.

See BitTorrent

A tracker is a server that supports communication between users of the BitTorrent peer-to-peer protocol. A tracker can manage an index containing both the list of content available on the peer-to-peer network and the list of connected users sharing this content.

A contract supply including Internet access, fixed-line telephone and television. The addition of mobile telephony transforms it into a "quadruple play ".

Union européenne de radiotélévision (European Broadcasting Union), an organization that brings together television publishers from Europe and the rest of the world.

A UGC ( User-Generated Content ) website is an online platform offering a range of content mainly produced or created by end-users. This type of content is to be distinguished from traditional content produced, sold or diffused by traditional media companies and shown on platforms that have acquired the rights to it.

International Telecommunication Union, UN agency in charge of matters relating to information and communication technologies.

Derived from the English word "upload", which designates the sending of content over networks. In the field of illegal downloading, the term "uploader" is commonly used to designate someone who makes infringing content available to other users ( downloaders), particularly on online file storage platforms.

The URL or universal address is the unique, universal name used to locate a resource or document on the Internet.

Video on demand (VOD) enables multimedia content to be viewed on a terminal (computer, television or mobile device), either by streaming or downloading. Users are free to choose the content they wish to browse (from a defined catalog), at the time of their choosing.

Subscription video-on-demand(SVOD) services differ from conventional video-on-demand supplies in that the entire catalog is made available to users in exchange for payment of a predetermined flat-rate fee (as opposed to the conventional scheme, which makes provision for fee-for-service billing based on actual consumption).

Scheme to prevent persons under 18 from accessing adult programs.

A computer virus is a program that infects electronic equipment and compromises its normal operation. They can spread autonomously, or through the exchange of digital data via e-mail, networks or data storage media. Viruses often exploit security flaws in schemes and users' lack of vigilance.

See Video on Demand.

Version of a program offered in its original language with the option of adding subtitles.

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a computer scheme that creates a direct link (a tunnel) between remote machines. By accessing the Internet via a VPN based in Poland, for example, an Internet user can be perceived as being physically present in Poland - with a local Internet Protocol address, when in fact he or she is in France.

Digital watermarking is a technique for adding information to audio, video, image or other digital files or signals. This information can be used, for example, to identify the rights holder of a work or the recipient of the marked content. Thewatermark can be visible or invisible to the end user, depending on the preferences of the person applying the watermarking.

The term " web listening " refers to a scheme or approach for continuous observation of what is being said on the Internet about a particular subject. The use of this term generally reflects a desire to emphasize that sources other than social networks are analyzed as part of the monitoring scheme (if only social networks are analyzed, the term social listening is used).

Web scraping is a technique for extracting online content using a program or script. The latter methodically and/or randomly scans a defined number of web pages and collects certain information on each page, which can then be transformed and stored to enable their use in another context, for example for listing or statistical purposes.

Web radio is a computerized system for showing radio programs on the Internet using streaming technology.

Wired Equivalent Privacy. WEP is an encryption key used to secure wireless networks such as Wi-Fi. WEP encryption presents well-known and widely exploited vulnerabilities.

Wi-Fi (also spelled Wifi) is a set of wireless communication protocols, generally used in a domestic or local manager, to link several computer devices (computers, routers, mobile terminals, Internet set-top boxes, etc.) via radio waves.

Wireless Fidelity Protected Access. WPA, or WPA key, is based on authentication protocols and an encryption algorithm designed to secure Wi-Fi wireless networks. WPA overcomes the shortcomings of WEP by offering random key generation and the ability to modify the encryption key to increase security.

Refers either to the maximum amplitude of an audio sequence, or to the energy transmitted by the loudspeakers, in acoustic pressure, to the viewer's ears.

Computer system for radio and TV diffusion over the Internet.

A zombie is a computer infected by a virus or other malicious utility, enabling the hacker to take control of the computer and carry out further hostile attacks.

More commonly summoned as a hotspot, a wireless access zone is a space where the public can benefit from temporary or permanent high-speed radio services, including wireless Internet access.

DTT shadow zones, often mountainous, where terrestrial reception is not possible. For television, there are alternative means of reception (notably cable or satellite).