[1][2] Pflimlin started his career by as the head of advertising for Jours de France, a magazine published by the Dassault Group, from 1979 to 1985.

[5] In 2003, he oversaw the creation of Plus belle la vie, a French television series based in Marseille.

[5] He was the head of Nouvelles Messageries de la Presse Parisienne, the main newspaper distributor in France later known as Presstalis, from 2006 to 2010.

[1][2][6] When he succeeded Patrick de Carolis, he was the first head of France Télévisions to be appointed by a president (Nicolas Sarkozy),[5] leading some on the left to suggest he was compromised.

[1] However, he clashed with the new Minister of Culture, Aurélie Filippetti, over his decision to discontinue the programs Taratata and C'est pas sorcier.

[1][7] By 2014, a report authored by the Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel (CSA) was leaked to the press, the gist of which suggested he had failed to meet expectations.

[2] Upon his death, Jean Rottner, the mayor of his hometown of Mulhouse, described him as "a lover of culture, a humanist, but most of all a friend".

[12] Meanwhile, François Hollande, the president of France, said he was "a man who gave his life to the press, to the media, and to informing the public.