TF1 courts victory

Jurists criticize EC on pubcaster funding

By LIZA KLAUSSMANN

PARIS -- Private French broadcaster TF1 has won a fresh victory in its fight against what it claims is unfair competition from pubcasters. The European Court of Justice has ordered the European Commission to come up with a definition of public service broadcasting and tighten its surveillance of advertising tariffs. It also upheld its condemnation of the commission for failing to act on TF1's repeated complaints.

Double dipping

For eight years, the Gallic broadcaster filed grievances about government money given to pubcasters who also bring in revenues from advertising, stating that the aid exceeds the obligations of public service.

The EC, which has received similar complaints from Germany, Portugal, Italy and the U.K., said it was reserving judgment on individual cases until it could draw up a set of general guidelines.

The latest ruling by the court will likely force the EC to speed up the process, which has been dragging on since 1993.

Fall delivery

"We are obliged to reopen our inquiries into this matter, and guidelines for state-aid rules for public broadcasting will be drawn by autumn," Michael Tscherny, an EC spokesman, told Daily Variety.

The EC, backed by the French government, had appealed the Court of Justice's 1999 condemnation but met with the same response it had received two years ago.