The Minister of Culture Roselyne Bachelot left this Saturday a few weeks to the actors of the film and audiovisual industry to find an agreement on the chronology of the media, failing which the government would decide at the end of the summer. The reform of the media chronology, the system which governs the order of release of films on the various operating media (cinemas, DVD, television, streaming, etc.), has been under negotiation for several months.
“It is in the interest of the entire industry that you quickly reach this agreement,” said Roselyne Bachelot to film and audiovisual professionals at the Cannes Film Festival, at the end of a round table at the Center national de cinematography and moving images (CNC).
Roselyne Bachelot says she leaves “slack”
“I want the discussion to continue,” she then explained to the press, defending herself from having issued an ultimatum to the stakeholders. “On the contrary, I left some freedom, I will say ‘slack’, so that the discussions can go to an end and that I am not forced to have a text which would be of purely governmental origin,” continued Roselyne Bachelot. But in case of failure, “the government will decide at the end of the summer,” she told AFP.
The change in the media chronology aims to adapt to the rise in power of streaming platforms, while continuing to guarantee protection of artistic creation. The reform should allow these platforms to broadcast films in France 12 months after their release, compared to 36 months currently, in return for an obligation to invest in French production which is now imposed on them.