WORLD: MEDIA ANALYSIS - Europe-led changes in French law set to put more ads on TV.

TV audiences in France are facing a big increase in ad minutage.

It would be difficult to claim that French television is the best in the world, but its viewers are conscious of its relative lack of advertising clutter and express relief that 'it's not like the US'.

In fact, a law passed in 2000 restricted advertising time on the public channels France 2 and 3 (which fall under the umbrella organisation France Television) to eight minutes per hour. The privately owned TF1 and M6 are allowed to screen 12 minutes per hour, because they do not receive a contribution from the licence fee.

But the situation could change, with the French government now considering increasing ad minutage on France Television to 12 minutes. Not only that, but it may allow the channels to introduce breaks in the middle of programmes for the first time.

TF1 and M6 could also be given permission to break films twice, rather than just once, and to increase advertising time to 15 minutes per hour.

So what has provoked this change of heart? Partly, it is because France Television does not make enough money from the licence fee - which costs 116 euros a year and which nobody pays - to cover rising production costs. A government spokesman points out that advertising revenue from TV and radio in France stands at about 3.5 billion euros a year, as opposed to more than 5.7 billion in Germany. If things go on as they are, French viewers can expect more debates, quiz shows and reality TV, and less quality drama.

The second reason is Europe. With the European Commission gradually harmonising legislation across the continent, sectors that were previously banned from advertising on French television are now being welcomed. The press will be allowed to run ads from next year, and the big retail chains are expected to arrive by 2005. Media buyers say the latter is the real cause for concern.