College decisions relating to the implementation of article 20-7 of the law of September 30, 1986

Audiovisual media services are now frequently offered in a variety of service supplies, accessible via a wide range of user interfaces (connected TV sets and remote controls, multimedia gateways, connected speakers, games consoles, OTT distributors, ISP "boxes", application stores...).

In this context, it is important for audiovisual media whose activity meets public interest objectives to be visible and easily accessible to users on these interfaces. This is the purpose of Article 7a of the revised European Audiovisual Media Services Directive of November 14, 2018, which states that " Member States may take measures to ensure appropriate visibility for audiovisual media services of general interest ".

Article 20-7 of the law of September 30, 1986, which transposes these provisions into French law, specifies that services published by public audiovisual companies (France Télévisions, Radio France, France Médias Monde, Arte-France, the Parliamentary Channel, the National Audiovisual Institute and the TV5 channel) benefit by nature from these appropriate visibility measures given their public service missions. In the coming months, Arcom will assess whether other services should be included in the scope of services of general interest, in view of their contribution to plurality of thought and opinion and to cultural diversity, and after public consultation.

The list of interfaces subject to the obligation to ensure appropriate visibility of services of general interest is published today by Arcom. These interfaces are those that cross the thresholds expressed in terms of sales or number of users set by decree no. 2022-1541 of December 7, 2022. In accordance with this decree, operators have 9 months from the date of publication of this list to comply with the law.

The visibility measures that these operators will have to put in place within this 9-month period will be the subject of a deliberation, the draft of which Arcom is putting out to public consultation. The deadline for responding to this consultation is April 21, 2023 .