France Télévisions is the French public television broadcaster. It operates several nationwide channels including France 2 (the primary channel), France 3 (focusing on regional content), France 4 (primarily focused on cultural programs), France 5 (covering societal issues and documentaries), 1ère (covering French overseas territories), France Info (focused on news), France TV Slash (targeted on series), Okoo (focused on children), and Culturebox (a culture channel that replaced the France Ô channel in 2021).
France Télévisions holds stakes in several privately owned television companies, including M6 Group, Lagardere Active, and MultiThematiques.
Media assets
Television: France 2, France 3, France 4, France 5, 1ère, France TV Slash, Culturebox, France Info
State Media Matrix Typology: Independent State-Funded and State-Managed/Owned (ISFM)
Ownership and governance
France Télévisions is a state-owned company with a board of directors consisting of 14 members who serve a five-year term. The board includes two MPs appointed by the cultural affairs committees of the National Assembly and the Senate, five representatives of the State, five independent personalities appointed by the French broadcast regulator, and two France Télévisions staff representatives. The President of France appoints the President/CEO of France Télévisions.
Several specialized committees support the work of the France Télévisions Board of Directors. These include an audit and accounts committee, a strategy committee, a compensation committee, and a commitments committee. In recent years, two additional committees have been created: a management committee and an editorial strategy committee.
Source of funding and budget
France Télévisions used to be funded through a combination of revenue from the license fee and advertising. In 2020, according to an annual report from the broadcaster, France Télévisions received €2.95bn from the revenues generated by the license fee, representing nearly 82% of its total budget. The fee was a flat annual levy of €138 in France and €89 in the French territories overseas, paid by almost all French citizens. The revenues from this tax were used to fund other media outlets, such as Radio France and Arte. The fee helped insulate the broadcaster from government pressures, as authorities did not get to approve a state subsidy every year. In 2021, the corporation had a total budget of €2.79bn, 85% of which was generated through the license fee, according to a company annual report.
In the past few years, the government of France has been taking steps to reduce the commercial revenue generated by France Télévisions as a way to make the broadcaster more accountable to its public (rather than to its advertisers) that is expected to become in the near future the sole source of financing France TV.
Somewhat contradicting previous plans, the French government announced in May 2022 that it was planning to end the license fee, part of the election promise by President Emmanuel Macron to slash a raft of taxes. In summer 2022, the license fee was scrapped and replaced by a state budget subsidy, which is generated from VAT receipts.
In 2023, France Télévisions’ turnover increased to €3bn, the public funds accounting for 80.1% of that and the rest generated through ad sales.
Editorial independence
Despite political pressures and accusations of censorship, there is no solid evidence of government control over the editorial coverage at France Télévisions. No legal provisions oblige France Télévisions to favor the government in its programs.
The editorial independence of France Télévisions is not guaranteed by a specific domestic statute. However, its independence is ensured through the involvement of independent experts and the broadcaster’s staff in its governing structures. Moreover, there are several internal documents aimed at ensuring the professionalism of the broadcaster’s staff and compliance with a set of ethical norms.
Local experts and journalists assert that these norms play a key role in upholding the station’s editorial independence. One such norm is the Code of Ethics, which consolidates the principles of collective and individual behavior that should govern the actions of the station’s staff and managers.
The Compliance, Ethics, and Professional Conduct Department (DCED) reports to the Secretary-General, a member of the Executive Committee (COMEX) of France Télévisions. Their primary responsibility is to ensure that the broadcaster’s journalists uphold ethical and professional norms. Additionally, the company has designated referents who establish “ethics and compliance” policies for each of its subsidiaries.
The broadcaster has a strict policy to prevent corruption and fraud at France Télévisions and ensure the station’s editorial independence.
Since 2011, the broadcaster has been following the “Antennas Charter” which formalizes rules for the station’s staff to adhere to shared values such as honesty, transparency, independence, and information pluralism.
France Télévisions has various mechanisms in place to evaluate its editorial independence and establish the group’s editorial agenda. One of these mechanisms is the Editorial Strategy Committee, which is responsible for defining the editorial roadmap and approving the broadcaster’s strategic editorial and programming decisions.
The broadcaster has an Ethics Committee that monitors its programming to ensure it respects the principles of honesty, independence, and pluralism of information. The committee consists of five independent experts who are appointed for three years. It does not have sanctioning powers. Instead, it collects data and information and reports to CSA, France’s audiovisual regulator, which has power over all the broadcast media in the country.
Finally, the broadcaster has recently established the Advisory Programming Council, comprised of 30 viewers with regularly renewed membership. Its mission is to make recommendations and provide advice on France Télévisions’ programs.
August 2024