French media regulator finds foreign streaming platforms lagging on energy transparency
Published on 23 March 2026
On 4 December 2025, ARCOM published its first evaluation report (covering 2024) assessing how TV services, on-demand AVMS, and video-sharing platforms have followed through on commitments made under its 2023 recommendation to inform users about the energy consumption linked to their services under article 26 of Law No. 2021-1485.
The 2023 joint ARCOM, ADEME and ARCEP recommendation (non-binding) established under article 26 of the French “REEN” Law (No. 2021-1485) covers three main areas: general information on the environmental impact of audiovisual media services; low‑energy viewing settings and, ideally, a dedicated “energy‑saving mode”; and developing a common methodology to calculate the environmental impact of these services.
The evaluation report highlights strong engagement by French players, especially licensed TV services. However, ARCOM noted that no foreign on-demand service providers or video sharing service providers have addressed the questionnaire.
It also identifies areas for improvement:
- Encouraging foreign‑based online platforms to apply the recommendation.
- Rolling out “energy saving” functions (for example, disabling autoplay videos and infinite scrolling).
- Making these tools clearly visible and accessible within one or two clicks from the video player (for example, via a leaf icon).
- Raising awareness on the carbon footprint of audiovisual and digital uses.
Why it matters: AVMS providers are encouraged to enhance energy‑saving features, user information and measurement methodologies to align with ARCOM’s expectations.
