French Budget $3.2 Billion To Boost Culture

PARIS -- France's Culture and Communications ministry said Wednesday that it has been allocated a budget of €2.7 billion ($3.2 billion) for 2006.

The 3% increase over last year underlines the fact that culture remains a priority for the government, officials said, as the overall national budget saw spending freezes in many areas.

The budget for France Televisions, the state-owned broadcaster that encompasses the France 2, France 3, France 5 and RFO channels, will increase by 3% to €1.8 billion ($2.2 billion) in 2006.

The pubcaster is primarily funded by a TV tax that will remain unchanged, at €116 ($139.50) per household each year, as the ministry's efforts to rope in evaders is expected to yield extra revenue.

The extra cash will be spent on improving programming as well as increasing funding for original audiovisual work, particularly in the area of French fiction, the ministry said.

The French government's project to launch a 24-hour French news channel has been allotted €65 million ($78.1 million). The amount will be added to the €30 million ($36 million) budget for this year, which remains unspent, the ministry said, giving fresh impetus to the channel, tentatively christened Chaine francaise d'information internationale (French International Information Channel).

Details of the project, previously conceived as a 50-50 joint venture to be managed by France Televisions and private commercial broadcaster TF1, have yet to be thrashed out, but insiders at France Televisions say it is likely now that the pubcaster will go it alone.