The article to read to understand the reform of public audiovisual, whose examination in committee in the assembly resumes Tuesday

The reform of public audiovisual makes its umpteenth return to the National Assembly. The Cultural Affairs Committee resumes its work, Tuesday, June 17, on a bill to bring France Télévisions closer, Radio France, France Médias Monde and the INA, before an exam in public session scheduled for June 30. Already adopted in the Senate at first reading, the text provides for the creation of a “holding company” to oversee these media.

While his examination by deputies has already been pushed three times in a year, Rachida Dati judges, in an interview with World published on Sunday, that “”The status quo is not an option “. The Minister of Culture, who pleads for a long time for the creation of a “French BBC”, has supported the text since her appointment in this position in early 2024. The unions saw it as a prelude to a merger, which is however “More on the agenda” For now.

What is this reform?

THE bill The centrist senator Laurent Lafon creates a holding company called “France Media” whose state would be 100%shareholder. From January 1, 2026, this parent company will oversee France Télévisions (which brings together France 2, France 3, France 4, France 5, Franceinfo, the Overseas Network The 1st, the Platform France.tv and the Site franceinfo.fr, co -managed with Radio France), Radio France (France Inter, France Culture, France Musique, FIP, Mouv ‘, the network here – formerly France Bleu -, and Franceinfo)The National Audiovisual Institute (INA) and France Médias Monde (RFI, France 24 and Monte Carlo Doualiya). The text does not plan to make these companies disappear. But the holding company will have the role of “Define the strategy” of these media, of“Accelerate cooperation” AND d ‘“Optimize the distribution of means”, details the Senate Culture Commission*.

“It is not a question of dismantling or privatization.”

Rachida Dati, Minister of Culture

to “world”

“Like the current CEOs of France Télévisions and Radio France”, That of “France Media” would be appointed for five years by the Audiovisual and Digital Communication Regulatory Authority (Arcom) “And each subsidiary will have its own board of directors”described the Minister to ParisianMarch 30. The bill also mentions a person’s appointment “Responsible for ensuring the impartiality of information” to the board of directors of the holding company.

The text also plans to finance public audiovisual “A public, sustainable, sufficient, predictable and taking into account inflation. However, a law has already been adopted in November to affect a “State of state tax” has public audiovisual. It perpetuates the allocation of a fraction of VAT revenue to public media, replacing the fee, abolished in 2022.

Is the entire public audiovisual concerned?

No, TV channels TV5 Monde et Arte are dismissed from the reform because of their particular international status. The first is funded by France, Switzerland, Canada, Quebec, Belgium and Monaco. The second is a Franco-German company.

The fate of France Médias Monde is more uncertain. As it stands, the bill plans to integrate the international branch of French public audiovisual into the holding project. But it could be excluded, such as the former government of Gabriel Attal, which was already part of Rachida Dati, had envisaged it.

Is this project recent?

Not really. From 2015, a senatorial report called for the creation of a holding company called “France Médias”. Former Minister of Culture Franck Riester intended to concretize this project, but the COVVIR’s health crisis stopped the examination of his text. The file was relaunched by Rachida Dati when he arrived at the ministry in January 2024.

To move forward quickly, she relied on the bill of Senator Laurent Lafon, already adopted at first reading by the Senate in June 2023. Her examination in the Assembly was postponed for the first time due to the dissolution in June 2024, then a second time because of the fall of the government of Michel Barnier, six months later.

Meanwhile, Rachida Dati’s position has evolved. It initially saw the holding company as a transitional phase before a complete merger of companies in a single entity. An amendment in this sense had been adopted in committee at the Assembly in April 2024. The idea was however far from consensual. Within the common base, the modem had opposed it. After “Many consultations with unions and journalists’ collectives”The Minister assures that the merger is no longer on the agenda. “This holding company preserves independence, identities of each entity and their specificities”Does she want to reassure.

The project experienced a new brake in the spring, when examining the text, scheduled for April, was postponed due to a very busy parliamentary program.

What are the arguments of Rachida Dati to defend the reform?

The Minister of Culture judges this reform “essential” Faced with competition from private channel groups “Very structured”, Digital platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime, and social networks. A holding “Forces today dispersed” and avoid a “weakening” public audiovisual “Already underway”. “We have to get out of the Silo operations” AND “Having really unified strategies”She pleaded on April 2 to the Committee on Cultural Affairs in the Assembly.

It also intends to strengthen a public service “deserted” by the youngest, In a context of propagation of false information on social networks. To remove opposition to the project, the minister intends to rely on the conclusions of a report by the old boss of France Inter, Laurence Bloch, given Monday to the deputies. “It shows that uses have evolved, that consumption of radio and television collapses among young people”, she defends with the World.

The over 65s represented around 60% of channels from France Télévisions in 2023, According to Arch*, against 42% for all television. On the Radio France antennas, this age group is also preponderant among the listeners, even if the Arcom note* That those over 65 are also many to listen to private general stations, such as Europe 1 and RTL.

Why is the project challenged by the unions?

The unions fear that the creation of a holding company generates declines of means and fear for the employment of some 16,000 employees (8,900 in France Télévisions, 4,500 at Radio France, 1,700 in France Médias Monde and 900 at INA) concerned by this project. “This type of reform first targets savings by reducing the workforce and programs”Pointe Eléonore Duplay, SNJ CGT union delegate, with France 3. The finance bill adopted in February acts a reduction of 80 million euros in the budget between 2024 and 2025, on the near 4 billion euros allocated to public audiovisual. For her part, the Minister of Culture promises that this reform is not intended to save money.

Union organizations are alarmed by an evaluation note from the government, revealed by Contextwho believes that “France Media” will facilitate the creation of “New subsidiaries”. The document evokes the constitution of a “Franceinfo subsidiary” to deepen the “Cooperation between TV and radio components”as well as the creation of a “subsidiary here” which would bring together employees of the France 3 network and those of France Bleu. In his interview with WorldRachida Dati says he is in favor of a “Organization in subsidiaries around the four existing platforms (here, Franceinfo, Radio France, France.TV)”. Radio France unions judge as well as the holding project has “All characteristics” of a merger.

In addition, unions fear “A endangerment of editorial independence, pluralism and freedom of information”. “We also not forget the risk of pressure, political or economic, which could be exercised on the presidency of a holding company which would bring together all the public audiovisual. Do we really want to concentrate so many powers in the hands of a single person?”questions the inter -union of public audiovisual in a column published in February on Ouest-France.

Is the reform likely to succeed?

Rachida Dati believes that the text can obtain the green light from the deputies, before his return to the Senate at the start of the school year. “”During the debates in the cultural affairs committee in early April, article 1 of the text created the executive holding company, and from which the following articles follow, was adopted by a large majority “Does she advance at World. “”There is no reason that this majority is not confirmed in the hemicycle “According to the Minister.

However, this majority is not acquired. On the left, L‘elected socialist Emmanuel Grégoire sees it “Obvious prelude to an absurd and brutal fusion”While the rebellious deputy Aurélien Saintoul denounced take charge* “A direct attack on cultural diversity and information pluralism”targeting “”to impose a unique vision “.

For its part, the national rally, which pleads for a privatization of public audiovisual, judges that the reform does not go far enough. “The time is not necessarily to create a holding company, but more than ever for concentration of the sector”, Hallowed the deputy Philippe Ballard, who claims a “Departing anti -concentration standards” in the audiovisual.

I didn’t have time to read everything, do you summarize me?

The bill aims to create a holding company, “France Media”, to oversee the public audiovisual. She will control France Télévisions, Radio France, INA and potentially France Médias Monde. These media will all be placed under the authority of the same person, as president of the holding company. The examination in the National Assembly of the text, already adopted in June 2023 by the Senate, was repeatedly pushed.

The Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, judges the reform “essential”to bring together “Forces today dispersed” Public audiovisual, faced with competition from private channels and streaming platforms. Contrary to what she was initially envisaged, Rachida Dati assures that she is no longer favorable to a merger and that each entity will keep her “identify”. But the unions believe that this reform already has “All characteristics” of a merger. Like the left, they fear that it causes drops of means and that it impoverished the “Pluralism” AND “editorial independence ” public service.

* The links followed by an asterisk refer to PDF documents.