TV5 Monde

A public service broadcaster with a mission to promote Francophone productions and the French language, TV5 Monde consists of eight generalist cultural channels and two thematic channels (focused on children and the art of living).

Media assets

Television: TV5 Monde

State Media Matrix Typology

Independent State-Funded and State-Managed/Owned (ISFM)

Ownership and governance

TV5 was founded in 1984 by five public television channels: TF1, Antenne 2, and FR3 from France, Télévision Suisse Romande from Switzerland, and the Belgian RTBF. TF1 withdrew in 1987 after its privatization, and later, additional media companies joined TV5.

TV5 Monde is owned 51% by a consortium of state-owned public broadcasters, including France Télévisions, Radio-télévision suisse (RTS), RTBF, CBC/Radio‑Canada (SRC), Télé‑Québec, and ARTE France. France Médias Monde, the company responsible for international broadcasting services, holds the remaining ownership managing France.

The overseeing authority at TV5 Monde is the so-called ministers’ conference, where ministers in charge of TV5 Monde from the countries that fund the station meet every two years to make strategic decisions for the network.

TV5 Monde has a board of directors comprising representatives of the national public broadcasters who co‑own the station. The President‑CEO of France Télévisions serves as the chair of this board.

Yves Bigot, who had been CEO (PDG) of TV5 Monde since 2012, was informed that he would not be renewed in April 2024. He then submitted his resignation on 27 May 2024, with effect from 30 June 2024, five months before the originally scheduled end of his term. After Yves Bigot’s resignation took effect, Christophe Tardieu, a senior executive at France Télévisions, was appointed as interim CEO starting 1 July 2024 by the TV5 Monde Board of Directors. In October 2024, Kim Younes Charbit was officially appointed President-Director General (PDG) of TV5 Monde for a five-year term, succeeding Tardieu, after being validated by the Board and proposed by France.

Source of funding and budget

TV5 Monde is primarily funded by the governments of the founding parties. France contributes the bulk of funding, while the Wallonia‑Brussels Federation, Switzerland, and Canada (with Quebec accounting for roughly 40 % of the Canadian contribution) cover the remainder.

Since 2015, the French government has used funds from citizens’ license fees to cover its contribution to TV5 Monde. In 2019, France’s contribution was approximately €76.2 million out of a total budget of €110.8 million. By 2022, the budget had risen to around €116.4 million.

Editorial independence

There is no evidence of government control over TV5 Monde’s editorial output.

The TV5 television network is managed by two companies: TV5MONDE and TV5 Québec Canada. Each has full control over its programming, which strongly guarantees its editorial independence.

TV5 Monde has a programming committee presided over by the station’s programming director. It consists of representatives from the programming divisions of TV5 Québec Canada, France Télévisions, Arte France, RTBF, RTS, Radio-Canada, Télé-Québec, and CIRTEF (an association of francophone public media).

August 2025