Public broadcasting: a bill in the Senate for the creation of a holding company

Rémi Jacob, with AFP 09:38, 03 May 2023

The centrist president of the Senate's Culture Committee, Laurent Lafon, presented on Tuesday a bill on the audiovisual sector which notably provides for the creation of a holding bringing together the jewels of public broadcasting.

"The public authorities are struggling to react to these developments"

The text supported by the Senate majority should be placed at first reading on the agenda of the Senate as early as the week of June 12, Laurent Lafon told the press. In a context marked by profound changes, with the development of platforms, social networks, or connected television, the senator intends with this bill to ensure "audiovisual sovereignty" of the France.

"The public authorities are struggling to react to these developments," said Laurent Lafon, recalling that the "general framework" of the sector remains the 1986 law, certainly modified since, but which "imposes on French actors rules that are not imposed on platforms".

The creation of a holding company named France Médias

The text is divided into two chapters, one concerning public broadcasting, the second aimed at combating asymmetries in competition. The first article proposes the creation of a holding company, named France Médias, composed of four subsidiaries, France Télévisions, Radio France, France Médias Monde, as well as the National Audiovisual Institute (INA), which would move from the status of public establishment to that of company. 100% owned by the State, this holding company would be set up on 1 January 2024, provided, however, that the Senate text is also adopted by the National Assembly.

"We are convinced that the direction to follow is a rapprochement of structures," said Lafon, stressing that this proposal "is strongly inspired" by the draft reform of public broadcasting presented in 2020 by Franck Riester, then Minister of Culture, but who was a collateral victim of the Covid crisis.

To "promote access for all to sporting events", it proposes in particular to extend to platforms the obligation imposed on pay channels to transfer certain rights to free-to-air television services broadcast on DTT.

Among other measures, it also intends to rebalance the sharing of value between broadcasters and producers, to "encourage channels to invest more in quality productions".

Regarding the financing of public broadcasting, which, after the abolition of the licence fee, must still be perpetuated beyond 2024, the text effectively excludes the possibility of a subsidy. It establishes the principle of a public resource "of a fiscal, sustainable, sufficient, predictable nature" and taking into account inflation. The second part of the text, relating to the "reduction of asymmetries" between actors, tackles in particular the delicate issue of sports rights.