The organisation was founded in London in 1975, on the initiative of Alan Sapper and the British trade union Association of Cinematograph, Television and Allied Technicians. The acronym FISTAV comes from its French name - Fédération internationale des syndicats des travailleurs de l'audiovisuel.

The organisation chose to remain independent from both the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) and the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU). It thus brought together social democratic, communist, and non-aligned trade unions in the film and television sector, putting it in competition with ISETU, which was affiliated with the ICFTU.

In 1979, FISTAV had members from a wide range of countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, including the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Japan, the Soviet Union and several Eastern European countries.
The federation worked closely with the International Federation of Actors (FIA) and the International Federation of Musicians (FIM).

In 1993, FISTAV merged with ISETU to form the new organisation Media and Entertainment International (MEI).