Abstract
In Europe, a series of countries are reviewing funding systems for public broadcasting since the 2010s, shifting from the license fee system based on the ownership of television receivers: Germany has introduced the broadcasting contribution fee that is imposed on all households, and Nordic countries have adopted the public service tax system based on personal income or the public grant system. In France, public broadcasters used to be funded by the license fee called “la contribution à l’audiovisuel public” (the contribution to public broadcasting), but it was removed in 2022 due to President Macron’s sudden election pledge. As a continuation of the provisional measures that followed, funding using portion of VAT tax have been institutionalized in 2025. Prior to this, how public broadcasters should be funded in the digital age had been discussed, taking into account the German and other systems, but they were not reflected in the institutionalization of the new system. After the scrap of the license fee, the introduction of a new tax was deemed not socially acceptable in the deliberations of the National Assembly. At the same time, there was a concern that public broadcasters would be considered state media if they were to be funded through the state general budget. As a result, allocating a portion of the VAT tax revenue to fund public broadcasting in a special account, separate from the state general budget, was adopted. Thus, the system has been put in place to ensure funding for public broadcasters, but issues remain regarding their independence and securing enough budget indispensable for their operations. The size of the budget over multiple years is supposed to be specified and guaranteed by COM (contracts of objectives and means) between the government and public broadcasters. However, it has frequently been reduced over the term of the contract due to the administration's policies. To secure funds, while reducing personnel and program production costs, French public TV is working on increasing revenues from advertising and other means. It also has to confront challenges such as differentiation and competition from commercial broadcasters.
