La Télévision Française:
Until the 1980's, all television stations were operated by the French state. Now, France 2 (state owned) is in direct competition with TF 1, a private company. France 3 (state owned) offers regional programming, largely composed of news and documentaries of local interest. France 5 is more like a cable TV format, with films and documentaries, and operates only during prime time. Arte is a Franco-German station with a lot of cultural programming in either language. Canal Plus is a bit like HBO; a cable channel that is fairly expensive, has recent movies, and invests a lot in films.You will see their logo listed frequently as a partner in films produced around the world. The most popular TV show in France is an irreverent nightly comic sketch on Canal Plus. It is done with puppets and is based on the news of the day. You can watch it: click on "Les Guignols de l'info."
Anyone who owns a TV in France pays a yearly "taxe audio-visuelle" (about $100) for each set. This goes to partially subsidize programming so you see less commercials, and also helps to subsidize the French film industry and protect it (so the theory goes) from domination by foreign (mainly US) competition. This is a big issue in France. In 2002, the head of the company that owns Canal Plus was fired for taking the attitude that French film and TV should be run the way the US does it; by eliminating subsidies and letting popular demand determine programming.
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