Netflix has announced a deal with France\u2019s largest broadcaster, TF1, to not only stream 30,000 hours of on-demand programming in France starting in the summer of 2026, but also deliver streams of the media company\u2019s linear pay TV channels.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the first time Netflix has licensed or offered such live, linear channels. TF1, which broadcasts live sports, soap operas and popular primetime shows including localized versions of Survivor,\u00a0The Masked Singer\u00a0and\u00a0Dancing With The Stars, is equivalent in size and stature to ABC, NBC or CBS. TF1 reaches around 58 million viewers with its broadcast channels and 35 million with its direct-to-consumer streaming offering, TF1+.<\/p>\n
Netflix last revealed its Franco subscriber base back in 2022, when it said it had around 10 million members in the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy teaming up with France\u2019s leading broadcaster, we will provide French consumers with even more reasons to come to Netflix every day and to stay with us for all their entertainment,\u201d said Greg Peters, co-CEO of Netflix, in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n Netflix has worked with TF1 before on productions including Les Combattantes, L\u2019Agence and Tout le bleu du ciel. But again, this landmark arrangement between the two companies involves live distribution of channels including TF1, LCI, TMC, TFX and TF1 S\u00e9ries Films.<\/p>\n “As viewing habits shift toward on-demand consumption and audience fragmentation increases, this unprecedented alliance will enable our premium content to reach unparalleled audiences and unlock new reach for advertisers within an ecosystem that perfectly complements our TF1+ platform,\u201d added Rodolphe Belmer, CEO of TF1 Group.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, news of the deal was greeted with high degree of seriousness among the media elite. Analysts suspect that it\u2019s not a matter of if Netflix strikes more such aggregator deals, but when.<\/p>\n \u201cSimilar deals in other markets will surely now follow,\u201d wrote the UK\u2019s Ampere Analysis.<\/p>\n