France: Recommendation from the French Audiovisual and Digital Communications Regulatory Authority (ARCOM) on the environmental footprint of television, on-demand audiovisual media and video-sharing platform Services

03 Oct 2023    1 minute read
Sustainability

In brief

  • Pursuant to the law of 15 November 2021 aiming at reducing the environmental footprint of digital in France, ARCOM published on 13 September 2023 its recommendation (adopted on 26 July 2023) on consumer Information, from television Services, on-demand audiovisual media Services and video-sharing platform Services, regarding energy consumption and carbon dioxide emission of data consumption related to the use of these Services. This recommendation, which follows a public consultation of industry stakeholders launched in 2022, aims to encourage good consumption practices by informing users, facilitating the use of energy-efficient adjustment parameters and the establishment of a common methodology for calculating environmental impact.

Contents

  • ARCOM recommends the following measures:
  1. Publication of Information on the environmental impact of audiovisual content consumption, on the levers available for users to reduce this impact, and on the actions implemented by the Services concerned to reduce their environmental impact.

ARCOM recommends, in addition to the provision of Information by each actor, the development of a joint communication campaign to raise public awareness on the environmental impact of audiovisual content consumption.

  1. Providing Service users with access to image quality settings and low-energy operating settings.
  2. Invitation to players in the digital and audiovisual sector to set up from 2024 a common methodology for calculating the environmental impact of audiovisual uses linked to the use of their Services in 2024.
  • These measures are not mandatory, but ARCOM encourages all actors to subscribe fully to them.
  • Providers of television Services, on-demand audiovisual media Services and video-sharing platform Services must also inform ARCOM annually, by 31 March at the latest for the previous financial year, of the actions they have undertaken in relation to the measures set out in the recommendation, with quantified indicators showing the effectiveness of the measures implemented.

Contact-us: par-itc@bakermckenzie.com

We want to thank Aurélie Djiha, who is a Trainee at BakerMckenzie, for her contribution to this article.

Click here to read the French version.

Contact Information
Christian Blomet
Partner
Paris
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christian.blomet@bakermckenzie.com

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