Press Release: State aid: European Commission approves long-term funding mechanism for France Télévisions

The European Commission has approved the annual funding mechanism for France Télévisions, which is deemed to comply with the European Union's state aid rules.

Under this mechanism, France Télévisions receives a share of the revenue from the public service broadcasting contribution (previously the television licence, approved by the Commission in 2005) plus a subsidy from the national budget.

This annual subsidy is based on the legislation on the new public broadcasting service, under which advertising on public channels will be reduced and ultimately abolished altogether by the end of 2011. After a detailed investigation, the Commission has concluded that the measure complies with the rules on state aid for public broadcasting services, particularly as regards the mechanisms for preventing over-compensation for the costs of the public service mission.