The broadcaster also holds minority stakes in several privately owned television companies, including M6 Group, Lagardère Active, and MultiThématiques.

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 joint-stock company governed by a 14-member board of directors, each serving a five-year term. The composition includes two Members of Parliament appointed by the cultural affairs committees of the National Assembly and the Senate, five state representatives, five independent personalities appointed by the broadcast regulator (Arcom), and two staff representatives. The President of the Republic appoints the President/CEO of France Télévisions.

Since 2015, the group has been led by Delphine Ernotte-Cunci, the first woman to head France Télévisions. In May 2025, Arcom renewed her mandate for a third term, consolidating her leadership through 2030.

Specialized committees support the board, including those on audit, strategy, compensation, and commitments. In recent years, a management committee and an editorial strategy committee have also been added.

Source of funding and budget

Traditionally financed through a combination of the licence fee and advertising, France Télévisions underwent a major funding shift in 2022 when the licence fee was scrapped (in line with Emmanuel Macron’s electoral promise) and replaced by a state subsidy from VAT receipts.

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 2023, France Télévisions reported turnover of €3 billion, with 80.1% coming from public funds and the remainder from advertising.

In October 2024, the French Senate adopted a reform to guarantee long-term stable financing by fixing the VAT-based contribution, replacing the previous annually negotiated allocation that had raised concerns over political interference.

The 2025 state budget, however, introduced cuts across public broadcasting, with France Télévisions facing an estimated €43 million reduction, part of an overall €80–150 million cut to the sector. Despite this, the group has maintained its investment in original French production, estimated at around €440 million annually, though entertainment and foreign game-show imports have seen budget cuts.

Looking ahead, the government is pursuing the creation of a unified public media holding company, to be called France Médias, grouping France Télévisions, Radio France, and INA, with a combined budget of around €4 billion and some 16,000 employees. The CEO of this new holding would be appointed by presidential decree following consultation with Arcom. The plan was for a two-phase merger: first establishing the holding in 2025, then completing the full merger in 2026. However, the reform has not been implemented yet. It has been subject to delays and significant pushback. It was postponed and lacks a definitive timeline for enactment. France Médias Monde (which includes France 24, RFI, Monte Carlo Doualiya) remains excluded from the merger plan, following amendments.

Editorial independence

France Télévisions is not legally obliged to favor the government, but there is no statute explicitly guaranteeing editorial independence either. Safeguards exist through governance structures involving independent experts and staff, as well as internal codes of conduct.

The broadcaster maintains a Code of Ethics and an Antennas Charter (in force since 2011), which emphasize values of honesty, transparency, independence, and pluralism. The Compliance, Ethics and Professional Conduct Department reports to the Secretary-General and oversees adherence to these standards, with dedicated ethics officers in each subsidiary.

Editorial oversight is supported by several mechanisms:

• The Editorial Strategy Committee, which sets the editorial roadmap.
• An Ethics Committee, composed of five independent experts (without sanctioning power) reporting to Arcom.
• The Advisory Programming Council, a 30-member rotating panel of viewers providing feedback and recommendations.

The broadcaster also has a strict policy to prevent corruption and fraud at France Télévisions and ensure the station’s editorial independence.

Despite political pressures and accusations of censorship, no credible evidence points to systematic state-driven censorship. There are regulatory critiques and staff concerns, but these don’t equate to enforced control of editorial content.

August 2025

Media assets

Radio: France Inter, France Info, France Culture, France Musique, France Bleu, FIP, Mouv’

State Media Monitor Typology

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

Ownership and governance

Radio France remains a 100 % state‑owned national company. Its President—and thus its chief executive—is appointed by the Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel (CSA), the French media regulator whose membership is itself appointed by the President of the French Republic. The Board of Directors comprises 13 members (including the President), serving five‑year terms: four appointed by the CSA, four representing state bodies, two Members of Parliament, and two staff representatives.

Since April 2018, the company’s President‑CEO has been Sibyle Veil, a former civil servant. She was reappointed for a second term in December 2022 and remains at the helm into 2025.

The main governing body at Radio France is the Board of Directors, which consists of 13 members, including the station’s president. They all serve a five-year term. Among the 12 members, the CSA appoints four, four represent state bodies, two are MPs, and two are staff representatives.

Under the executive structure, the President leads three management bodies: Codor – day‑to‑day operations; Comex (executive committee); strategic decisions; Codiram – human‑resources governance.

Source of funding and budget

Historically, Radio France drew about 80 % of its funding from the television licence fee (redevance audiovisuelle), with roughly 20 % coming from own‑revenues—advertising, diversification, and other commercial activities.

The total budget for Radio France in 2020 was €654.3m, with the license fee contributing €577.4m, which accounted for over 88% of the budget, as stated in the company’s annual report. In 2022, the station had a total budget of €566.4m, and more than 83% of that amount was covered by the revenues from the fee, according to the annual report.

The licence fee, which had traditionally been the main pillar of public funding, was abolished in 2022 and replaced by a redistribution mechanism tied to VAT receipts.

By 2024, staff–journalists and representative bodies expressed concern that upcoming reforms could jeopardize Radio France’s budget and independence. A planned merger into a unified public audiovisual entity—France Médias—envisioned for 2026 would bring together Radio France, France Télévisions, and the INA under one umbrella. Critics warned that Radio France could be weakened, and editorial diversity diminished.

Editorial independence

Radio France is known for maintaining editorial independence, with no legal obligation to favor any government and no demonstrated government control over content. In cases of undue political pressure, the broadcaster’s leadership has consistently reaffirmed its autonomy.

An ethics committee, composed of five independent experts serving renewable three‑year terms, was established in 2017 to reinforce integrity, freedom, and pluralism.

August 2025

Media assets

Television: ARTE

State Media Matrix Typology

Independent State-Managed/Owned (ISM)

Ownership and governance

ARTE Group is structured under a European Economic Interest Grouping (GEIE) and includes two corporate entities: ARTE France and ARTE Deutschland TV. ARTE France is majority-owned by France Télévisions, which holds a 45% stake. The remaining ownership is divided among the French state (25%), Radio France (15%), and INA (15%).

The main governing body of the ARTE group is the General Assembly, which consists of 12 members – six from each of its German and French units. They meet four times a year in Strasbourg. The assembly is responsible for making key decisions regarding the company’s strategy, approving the group’s business plan, and appointing the ARTE group’s management board, which oversees the company’s daily operations.

The Management Board (Comité de Gérance) runs day‑to‑day operations and includes four members: President, Vice‑President, Programme Director, and Administrative Director.

Following the 2025 leadership rotation, the President of the GEIE is Heike Hempel (starting January 1, 2025), previously from ZDF, while Bruno Patino serves as Vice‑President.

Source of funding and budget

ARTE derives nearly 95% of its funding from a license fee paid by citizens; it is prohibited from running advertising but may generate supplementary income through sponsorships.

Funding for ARTE France is governed by a four‑year agreement with the French state, detailing program objectives and resources; the French Parliament approves its detailed budget annually as part of the national budget.

ARTE comprises two corporate entities: ARTE France and ARTE Deutschland TV. Each entity publishes its own financial reports. In 2020, ARTE had a budget of €140.1m, according to the station’s annual report. In 2022, the company’s total budget increased to €148.9m, according to data from the group.

The GEIE headquarters budget for 2024 stands at €152.539 million in both income and expenditure. Contributions break down as: from ARTE France (€70.834 million), from ARTE Deutschland (€70.834 million), and own income (€10.871 million). Spending includes programs (€50.064 million), staff (€20.914 million), non‑program expenses (€12.849 million), and European projects (€1.744 million), with a balanced result (€0.00).

Editorial independence

ARTE’s editorial operations remain insulated from direct government control. Its notable reputation persists as an independent public‑service broadcaster with various European co‑productions.

Editorial decisions are handled by a program committee that convenes monthly in Strasbourg. Members include the Programme Director, three ARTE representatives, and one representative from each national unit (France and Germany).

A Program Advisory Committee, composed of prominent figures from civil society and the arts—eight from France, eight from Germany—provides guidance to the Management Board and General Assembly on programming matters.

Financial and governance integrity are upheld via internal audits guided by auditors elected at the General Assembly (from both national units), along with an external auditor performing oversight of the Management Board’s compliance with resolutions and legal frameworks.

A whistleblowing policy remains in place, ensuring staff and collaborators can report issues without fear of reprisal.

August 2025

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

With its newsroom located near Paris (Issy‑les‑Moulineaux), France 24 broadcasts continuously in French, Arabic, English, and Spanish. RFI produces content in French and up to 17 other languages, and Monte Carlo Doualiya remains an Arabic‑language radio station.

Media assets

Radio: Radio France Internationale (RFI), Monte Carlo Doualiya (MCD)

Television: France24

State Media Matrix Typology

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

Ownership and governance

FMM is fully owned by the French government through the State Participation Agency (APE). Its Administrative Board comprises 15 members, chaired by the President‑Director General, Marie‑Christine Saragosse, and includes state, regulator, parliamentary, and staff representatives. Saragosse has served as CEO since 2012 and was reappointed for a third term in January 2023 by the media regulator Arcom.

Source of funding and budget

FMM’s budget is almost entirely coming from a state grant. In 2022, the company received a state subsidy of €254.2m, according to official data from the lawmaking bodies. The station also generates some funding from advertising revenues. FMM used to be financed also through the revenues raised from the license fees. In 2023, the French state allocated a subsidy of €263m to FMM, according to data from the state authorities.

Editorial independence

There is no indication of direct government control over editorial decisions at FMM’s outlets; they operate under guidelines that ensure editorial independence.

August 2025