Appearing late at night exclusively on encrypted channels, pornographic films have been a staple of the French pay-TV scene since Canal Plus launched in 1984. Now elements of the political establishment and the broadcast regulator, the CSA, are considering banning X-rated films from television.
The Association of Cable and Satellite Channels (A.C.C.e.S) points out that this will have a major impact on channel operators and their ability to invest in the film production industry. Possibly a loss of Euros 30m.
Including repeat showings, porn films are given some 900 screenings a year across the different channels, a relatively small fraction of the total number of film broadcasts per year in France. A.C.C.e.S points out, however, that they have a disproportionately large audience and represent 10%-30% of viewings of pay-channel films.
At the recent MIPCOM programmes market A.C.C.e.S said that if porn films were banned, cable and satellite channels could lose 10%-15% of their subscribers. Other internal reports from one platform operator has suggested the figure could be 5% - 10%. A.C.C.e.S points out that there would be negative consequences not only for the channel operators, but also repercussions for the mainstream feature film industry as the channels' contribution to film financing is calculated according to their subscriber numbers. The effect could be a loss to cinema of Euros 30m-Euros 35m.
Conservative members of parliament are also campaigning for an amendment to the next year's finance legislation. This would raise the corporation tax on companies producing and distributing pornographic films from the current 33% to 60%.
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