The French legislative framework governing audiovisual and interactive media is primarily based on the Code du cinéma et de l’image animée (Cinema and Animated Image Code) and Law No. 86-1067 of 30 September 1986 on Freedom of Communication (Loi relative à la liberté de communication, commonly known as the Loi Léotard), which remains the cornerstone of broadcasting regulation in France. Together, these instruments establish the legal framework governing audiovisual services, cinema, broadcasting and certain digital media, combining cultural policy objectives with economic regulation and the protection of media pluralism.
The French regulatory system is characterised by the central role of the Autorité de régulation de la communication audiovisuelle et numérique (ARCOM), created in 2022 through the merger of the Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel (CSA), the former broadcasting regulator, and the Haute Autorité pour la diffusion des œuvres et la protection des droits sur internet (Hadopi), formerly responsible for online copyright enforcement. ARCOM supervises television and radio broadcasters, on-demand audiovisual media services and certain digital platforms. Its responsibilities include ensuring compliance with rules relating to pluralism, the protection of minors, commercial communications, the promotion of French and European works and the protection of copyright in the digital environment.
French audiovisual legislation is also closely shaped by European Union law. In particular, Directive (EU) 2018/1808 revising the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) extended regulatory obligations to video-sharing platforms and reinforced rules concerning the promotion of European works, the protection of minors and measures against harmful content.
The Cinema and Animated Image Code provides the legal basis for the public support system administered by the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC). It establishes a combination of automatic and selective support schemes financed through levies on cinema admissions, television services and on-demand audiovisual media services. The Code also regulates matters such as film classification, public support for cinema exhibition, including independent and art et essai cinemas, and the preservation of the national film heritage.
Following the transposition of the revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive, legislation has progressively extended long-standing obligations previously imposed on broadcasters to certain on-demand audiovisual media services. Streaming platforms operating in or targeting the French market are therefore subject to obligations concerning investment in French and European audiovisual production and the promotion of European works in their catalogues. These measures illustrate the gradual adaptation of the French regulatory model to digital distribution while maintaining its long-standing objective of supporting audiovisual creation.
French legislation also establishes the legal framework governing public service broadcasting and defines the public service missions entrusted to companies such as France Télévisions, Radio France, France Médias Monde and the Institut national de l’audiovisuel (INA). These missions include the provision of information, education, culture and entertainment, together with obligations relating to pluralism, accessibility and the promotion of cultural diversity.
Questions relating to photography and image use are governed primarily by the Code de la propriété intellectuelle (Intellectual Property Code), which protects original photographic works through copyright, and by Article 9 of the Civil Code, which safeguards the right to privacy and the protection of a person’s image. These rules increasingly interact with European data protection legislation and emerging legal issues relating to digital dissemination and artificial intelligence.
French legislation governing audiovisual and interactive media combines long-standing mechanisms supporting cinema and broadcasting with regulatory approaches developed in response to digital convergence. While preserving the principles of cultural diversity and public service that have traditionally characterised the French audiovisual model, the legal framework has progressively expanded to encompass streaming platforms and other digital media services. The organisation of the sector, its economic significance and recent policy developments are discussed further in Section 3.5.3.
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