Il sistema fiction in Francia

In the European market, domestic fiction dominates the prime-time ratings of the major national free broadcasters. In this scenario, the french case is a strong exception, since series made in the US are in France the most viewed. The article intends to analyze how home-made French fiction lost the strong leadership it had until 2005. The essay argues that the weakness of French product has been the result both of cultural reasons, and of a combination of production and programming practices, based on a legal framework (property rights sharing) and supportive measures (quota) too favorable to independent producers, to the prejudice of Broadcasters. Broadcasters are thus obliged to invest a considerable percentage of their turn over in independent production.