\n\tAs time wore on, relations thawed further and it became no longer uncommon for streaming services to be offered as bundles through pay-TV operators, or to gain prominence on TV set interfaces. Still, for a whole plethora of reasons, the relationship remained uneasy.<\/p>\n
\n\tHowever, this year, with the TV ad market in terminal decline and streamers facing subscriber saturation and slowing growth, it appears both sides have almost completely buried the hatchet and are preparing for a future in lockstep. In 2025, top execs from both sides have been shaking hands on partnerships that previously felt unimaginable. A tipping point has been reached, and as Guy Bisson, research director and co-founder at U.K.-based Ampere Analysis, observes, \u201cYou can be at the center of it, or beholden to others.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\t\tNetflix\u2019s Greg Peters and TF1<\/a>\u2018s Rodolphe Belmer in Cannes earlier this year<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNetflix<\/p>\n \n\tThe deals started with a landmark pact struck between Netflix and French commercial network TF1 at Cannes Lions earlier this year. Hailed as a \u201cnew kind of partnership\u201d by Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters, the agreement was the equivalent of NBC or ABC handing over its output, including live channels and sport, to a streaming service.<\/p>\n \n\tBeginning in mid-2026, this will be the biggest experiment in television content distribution in some time. Whether the move is about Netflix\u2019s push into ads, gaining a better foothold locally or retaining subscribers \u2014 or all three \u2014 is yet to be discovered.<\/p>\n \n\tA slew of similar agreements followed that June announcement, including Prime Video and France T\u00e9l\u00e9visions partnering locally. This sees five of the pubcaster\u2019s key channels and some 20,000 hours of content from its streaming offering France.TV sitting on the Amazon streamer. France T\u00e9l\u00e9visions CEO Delphine Ernotte Cunci called it a \u201chistoric step forward in strengthening the visibility of France.TV\u2019s public service offering, enabling all audiences to rediscover and discover the unique richness of France.TV in new environments.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tFrance.TV now sits as a rail on the Prime Video France homepage, a sign of the future, right here, right now. What this means for France\u2019s producers and rights holders is also a live question.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tFrance T\u00e9l\u00e9visions\u2019 Delphine Ernotte-Cunci<\/p>\n \n\tVariations on a theme<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tThese French mega-pacts aren\u2019t the only examples of networks and streamers playing nice. Netflix has also struck a deal to bundle with Middle Eastern juggernaut MBC in the MENA region \u2014 similar to its pacts in the U.S. and U.K. The rationale there appears to be that MBC\u2019s recently launched aggregator MBCNOW is emerging as a market leader and Netflix rival. So, if you can\u2019t beat \u2019em, join \u2019em.<\/p>\n \n\tDisney+<\/a>, meanwhile, has signed branding and content sharing agreements with the U.K.\u2019s ITV<\/a>, Germany\u2019s ZDF Studios<\/a> and Spain\u2019s Atresmedia<\/a>. The House of Mouse is integrating Hulu into Disney+ and launching it as an international title, while bundling new sports streamer ESPN together with rival Fox One in the States. More examples of unexpected partnerships feel certain to emerge.<\/p>\n \n\tWhile the nature and business rationale behind each partnership differs, they\u2019re broadly part of what Ampere terms \u2018diagonal integration.\u2019 This is where the broadcaster, faced with a TV ad market in terminal decline, leverages the reach of streaming rivals. In exchange, the streamer \u2014 usually a global player \u2014 gets the programming expertise of their linear partner, reducing their need to spend on local originals and providing it with a means of distributing local news. With potential regulatory fights to come, this is a potential boon and is a way of circumventing content quotas and other obligations that European countries want to establish.<\/p>\n \n\tThere\u2019s a growing sense among market watchers that the future is forming in front of our eyes. \u201cWe are right on the cusp of the gates opening towards more of these deals,\u201d says Ampere\u2019s Bisson.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cNot a one-way deal\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tWith change comes uncertainty and much debate has followed the Netflix-TF1 deal at festivals and conferences of late. Are the rights holders of the shows now being carried on additional platforms being compensated? Will linear network ratings be impacted? Who is paying who what? These are just some of the questions on industry execs\u2019 minds. In the analyst community, the rationale partnering stacks up.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cFor broadcasters leveraging that local reach of Netflix and other big streamers for local distribution makes absolute sense,\u201d says Bisson. \u201cIt also makes absolute sense for Netflix \u2014 it\u2019s not a one-way deal. Netflix gets loads of quality local content that, even with its huge budgets, it couldn\u2019t possibly hope to make. This really is a model for others.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tHe adds that Ampere research shows streamers are currently commissioning at \u201c75% peak TV\u201d level \u2014 a figure that\u2019s unlikely to increase, and so partnering with the biggest local players is an easy way to stock up on new content. \u201cStreamers are still 25% down on originals,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019ve not come back from that and we\u2019re not going to, but the interesting thing about these deals is they make your own originals spend slightly less important.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAs for Netflix\u2019s local regulatory position, there\u2019s another potential upside. Global streamers are unlikely to ever step into the waters of local news programming, preferring to leave that to terrestrials and public service networks. As such, some regulators and industry counterparts argue it is then only fair they should pay into a pot that ensures local players have the resources to continue with their news output.<\/p>\n \n\tHowever, French Netflix subscribers will be able to access TF1\u2019s news programming and Prime Video viewers can log on and watch news net France Info right now, helping the streamers\u2019 cause when it comes to crossing regulatory hurdles. Even an \u201cincremental\u201d audience streaming news could be a \u201cstrong point\u201d against regulation, says Tom Harrington, head of television at Enders Analysis. \u201cIf they can demonstrate that young people have watched news from a platform that they would not have otherwise watched, it\u2019s helpful,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n \n\tNetflix and TF1 are staying largely tight-lipped on the specifics of their agreement, with TF1 declining to comment on this article, while a Netflix spokesperson sticks to the facts after being quizzed on the impacts of the agreement. \u201cOur distribution partnership with TF1 begins in summer 2026, and we\u2019ll be sharing more details as we get closer to launch,\u201d they say.<\/p>\n \n\tThey have previously partnered on shows such as Les Combattantes and L\u2019Agence, and teamed for the streamer\u2019s first daily drama series in France,\u00a0Tout Pour La Lumi\u00e8re.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\u2018Les Combattantes\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNetflix<\/p>\n \n\tAs for the reason the Netflix-TF1 agreement will take a year to kick into gear, we understand it\u2019s down to Netflix ingesting more than 30,000 hours of TF1 programming and readying the five linear channels. One source with knowledge of the deal says the process is about bringing the two different streaming propositions as close together in video quality and user experience as possible. \u201cNetflix is not relying on TF1 at all here,\u201d they say.<\/p>\n \n\tDan Rayburn, the U.S.-based streaming industry analyst, notes that Netflix execs have been determined to qualify the pact as \u201cexperimental\u201d and not as the precursor to dozens of similar deals \u2014 at least not in the short term. \u201cRight away, people thought Netflix was getting into the live TV linear business and would be cutting deals left and right,\u201d he says. \u201cNetflix made it very clear that a deal like this is to learn, and part of the reason it is in France is because of the demand and the relatively small footprint. They called out and set proper expectations of the market. Three years down the line, maybe they cut another deal like that.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tOther informed sources have characterized the Netflix and TF1 deal as \u201copportunistic\u201d and resultant of TF1 CEO Rodolphe Belmer\u2019s close relationship with the streamer\u2019s top brass. The French exec was on Netflix\u2019s board between 2018 and 2022 when he ran pay-TV player Canal+, and he has remained tight with Reed Hastings and co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Peters ever since.<\/p>\n \n\tWhat we can say about these deals is streamers are framing them as partnerships that create value for the local market. They also see them as a continuation of long-standing business relationships forged through years of licensing and acquiring content. Broadcasters approach them as a new window to reach audiences that they\u2019re struggling to meet alone.<\/p>\n \n\tDisney\u2019s trio of deals with major European free-to-air broadcasters follows the assumption that they are a positive sign for the future.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe\u2019re proud of our longstanding relationships with free-to-air partners across Europe to both license and acquire TV shows and movies,\u201d says a Disney spokesperson. \u201cThese recent agreements are designed to give audiences access to even more great local stories on streaming, while continuing to support investment in local production and benefit the broader ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\u2018Mr Bates vs the Post Office\u2019<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tITV<\/p>\n \n\tDisney\u2019s deals range in size from select shows to hundreds of hours, highlighting that there is no one-size-fits-all model for diagonal integration. Enders Analysis\u2019 Harrington calls the ITV agreement in the U.K. \u2014 which sees \u2018Taste of\u2019-branded sections carried on the other streamer\u2019s platform \u2014 \u201ca very limited deal that could basically be seen as marketing.\u201d In essence, ITV viewers can watch the likes of\u00a0Andor, Only Murders in the Building and The Kardashians\u00a0via a rail on ITVX, with an ITVX rail launching on Disney+ with shows including Mr Bates vs the Post Office, Love Island and A Spy Among Friends. Both sides will regularly sit down and explore what can be added. Deadline understands titles will rotate every eight weeks on average.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe believe there is a mutually beneficial relationship here and we can reach free-to-air audiences in larger markets,\u201d Disney+\u2019s General Manager for EMEA Karl Holmes said back in July. ITV content chief Kevin Lygo called it a \u201cmutually beneficial alliance\u201d, while Holmes added that \u201cthere will be lots of different models that achieve a similar outcome\u201d in the future, comments that came prior to Disney announcing its deals with ZDF Studios and Atresmedia.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\u2018Only Murders in the Building\u2019 Season 5<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDisney\/Patrick Harbron<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n