1. How France promotes its cultural content
4th MAKK Conference,
17th november 2016
Janvier 2016 • La Sacem
2015

2. French policy supports for cinema and audiovisual
A primary tool: the french national centre for cinema
Created in 1946, both a public body and a professional organisation, it support cinema in various ways:
Direct financial support to films for production, distribution and exhibition
Financing structures supporting audiovisual and cinema activities: cinema schools or Unifrance that promotes french cinema abroad
Tax measures
The originality of the French cinema and audiovisual support policy system is the low direct state budgetary contributions.
Financial support schemes are essentially financed internally through compulsory tax obligations for cinemas, broadcasters, video and VOD publishers as well as internet service providers to nourish the French National Centre for Cinema budget.
TSA – Special Additional Tax levied on each cinema ticket
Broadcaster tax : 5,5 % of their income.
Video/VOD tax: 2 % of their income
ISPs are also contributors since 2008 in their capacity of TV service providers (5,5 % of their ad income).
Tax credits for cinema and audiovisual producers
2015

3. French policy supports for cinema and audiovisual
TV broadcasters obligations in french and european works financing
It usually takes the form of broadcasting rights presales and coproduction support
Terrestrial, cable and satellite TV channels are concerned : 3,2 % of their turnover, of which 75 % dedicated to independent cinema
Special treatment for Canal + : 20 % of its turnover
Broadcasting quotas complete this scheme:
60 % of TV channels programming shall be dedicated to European works of which 40 % only for works in original french language.
Regions and local collectivities also play a crucial role
through a logistic, technic and human resources support when hosting a shooting location.
2015

4. French policy supports for books
Mainly Economic measures
A fixed-price system for books provided by a 1981 law.
Price fixed by the publisher or importer for all kind of books, be they french or not.
The objective is to preserve a wide network of bookshops + books are not like any other commercial goods and such scheme leads to a greater diversity in the book offer.
An adapted tax scheme
A reduced VAT rate to 5,5 % instead of 20 %
2015

5. French policy supports for music A focus on radio quotas
The 1994 law provides the only legal provision regulating music offer by requiring French radio stations to play a certain proportion of songs in French
Radio stations are required to broadcast a minimum of 40 % of songs in French language, half of which should come from new talents or recent productions during prime times.
A derogatory regime is provided for
radio stations specialized in musical heritage promotion where 60 % of the works shall be in French language but only 10 % from new talents
Radio stations specialized in the promotion of young talents where only 35 % of the songs are in French language while 25 % at least shall be new songs in total
Such system exists all over the world - “you only listen what you hear”
Australia invented first such a quota scheme for its local artists in 1942
Quebec has a very protective radio quota system such as South Africa.
In Europe: Portugal, Norway, Slovenia have also implemented such system.
2015

6. A focus on radio quotas Perverse effects of the system:
Some of the big commercial radios simply bombard their audience with the 10 same French speaking songs…
Double sentence for French speaking artists: less exposure on radio and less diversity.
in 2016: a new bill of law on creation freedom, heritage and architecture threatened the radio quota scheme
Under the pressure of commercial radios, there was a proposal to weaken and lower the percentage of French language songs
Thanks to the mobilization of the French music sector and its artists, the proposal has evolved but not weakened the mechanism.
11 juin EXCLUSIF artistes se mobilisent pour défendre les quotas de chanson française à la radio
Goldman, Cabrel, Perret, Sanson… la liste est longue des artistes qui veulent sauver les quotas de chanson française à la radio, actuellement débattus au Parlement.
2015

7. focus on radio quotas : a new regime for radios
Regimes
Main Quota
2nd quota
Rotation caps
Diversity modulation scheme
All radio stations
At least 40 % of French speaking songs
At least 20 % of new talents and/or new French speaking works
Main quota reduced, with a 5 points limit, if the station commits to more diversity in its programming
35%
Radio stations specialized in musical heritage promotion
At least 60% of French speaking songs
At least 10% of new talents /
New French speaking works
If the “top 10” represents more than 50 % of the French-speaking songs broadcasted, any song programmed above this cap will not be counted in the quotas.
55%
30%
Radio stations specialized in the promotion of young talents
At least 60% of French speaking songs
At least 25 % of new French speaking talents
Radio stations specialized in music discovery:
Broadcasting at least 1000 different songs each month
Of which 50% are new songs
Each song is broadcasted maximum 100 times/month
At least 15% of new talents and/or new French speaking productions
+ France's broadcast media regulator, the Higher Audiovisual Council (or CSA in French) reports on the quota obligation implementation.
2015

8. 2015

9. thanks !
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