Advanced Television

Data: PSB funding decrease greater in France than EU average

April 13, 2026

From Pascale Paoli-Lebailly in Paris

Following the recent conclusion of the French National Assembly’s inquiry on public broadcasting, it has emerged that European public broadcasting services have generally seen their funding decline over the past decade. This decrease has been greater than average in France, according to consulting firm NPA Conseil.

Based on data from the EBU, it reveals that the share of PSB in the GDP of the 45 countries studied fell by nearly a quarter, from 0.18 per cent to 0.14 per cent between 2014 and 2024.

This equates to an 8.6 per cent decrease in operating revenue in constant euros over the period. In France, the decline reached 9.9 per cent. But trends varied from country to country; revenues fell by 9.5 per cent in Italy; by 7.1 per cent in the UK; and increased by 11.6 per cent in French-speaking Belgium, and by 16.9 per cent in Spain.

In France, the cost of public broadcasting in each country per inhabitant reaches €4.20 compared to an average cost in the 27 countries of the EU at €3.62. France ranked ninth, behind Belgium (€5.10), Germany (€8.70), and outside the EU, €6.10 in the UK.
The €4.20 figure is some 40 per cent to almost 50 per cent lower than the prices of the cheapest SVoD platforms, or almost 45 per cent lower than the average cost of a cinema ticket.
In the five major Western European countries, NPA Conseil notes a cumulative decrease of €4.3 billion in resources at constant currency for the six main groups: BBC, ARD and ZDF, France Télévisions, RTVE and Rai.
NPA highlights the constant efforts made by France Télévisions over the past decade, with funding having decreased by 19.3 per cent and €600 million in constant euros. The decrease has partially been compensated by the growth in own resources. The cost per French citizen has fallen to €2.95 per month in 2026 compared to €3.80 in 2015.

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