With its Netflix merger announced this morning, there is a certain ironic genius in the company that helped break TV finally allowing actual broadcast TV into its walled garden. That’s what’s happening with France’s largest commercial broadcaster, TF1 Group, and its forthcoming deal with Netflix.

The deal is significant in that it’s another example of the lines between streaming and linear TV continuing to blur.

TF1 Channels, 30,000+ Hours Of Content, Headed To Netflix

Beginning next summer, TF1’s five linear channels will be available to Netflix’s French subscribers. In other words, live TV is coming to the streamer for the first time, after being on-demand-only until now.

That’s not all the channels will offer, however. By 2026, Netflix users in France will have access to over 30,000 hours of TF1’s on-demand content. That means reality TV hits like The Voice, scripted series, live sports, and all other kinds of entertainment will be available to French viewers on Netflix, either live or on-demand.

The tie-up is also a bit of a look back at the heyday of the cable box. In a world of widespread cord cutting and smaller, more isolated media bundles, two broadcasters are linking up. For Netflix, it provides another opportunity to increase daily viewing and prevent churn as streaming battles heat up. For TF1, it opens up a whole new audience and another avenue for monetization.

Although Netflix and TF1 have collaborated on content like the historical French series Les Combattantes (Women at War), this deal represents a much more comprehensive partnership.

There are no financial terms of the deal at the moment, though it’s unclear that any are required. But Netflix and TF1 both seem happy with the arrangement. Co-CEO Greg Peters characterized the agreement as an effort to boost subscriber engagement, following the streamer’s recent decision to cease providing subscriber numbers.

“By teaming up with France’s leading broadcaster, we will give French consumers even more reasons to come to Netflix every day and to stay with us for all their entertainment,” Peters said.

TF1, for its part, will continue to run commercials during its programming. Now, that programming will be available to Netflix’s large audience. That’s a monetization opportunity, and an avenue for French advertisers to broaden their reach.

TF1 CEO Rodolphe Belmer characterized the deal as “unprecedented,” and noted that it will allow the content of TF1 to reach more viewers in an increasingly fragmented media landscape. He said that the agreement with Netflix complements TF1’s own platform, TF1+, while giving it access to Netflix’s distribution strength.

The move may even help Netflix satisfy the requirements of French regulators, who require streaming services to invest 20–25% of the revenue they earn in France into local content. That aligns perfectly with the new arrangement.

TF1 has numbers of its own. Its TV channels attract about 58 million viewers each month, while its streaming service TF1+ reaches another 35 million monthly users. Netflix has over 10 million subscribers in France, co-CEO Ted Sarandos said last year.

It could be the start of something bigger. If this partnership proves successful, Netflix could look for similar agreements in other European markets, or even in the U.S. Peters suggested that the company is open to that possibility, but wants to see how this partnership fares before making any commitments.

The timing is significant as well. As traditional broadcasters continue to lose viewers globally, cable is on the ropes as well. Nielsen this week reported that streaming claimed 44.8% of total TV viewership in May, above both cable (24.1%) and broadcast (20.1%) for the first time since Nielsen started tracking the data in 2021.

Other linear channels have struck deals with streaming services like YouTube TV. Netflix and TF1 are taking a direct approach to linear programming in households, however, that will make the streamer a direct pipeline for the broadcasts.

“I think that for many consumers in France, and I think in many countries, Netflix is their primary home for their TV entertainment,” Peters said. “And we’ll continue to be a hub for TV and that’s where we’re trying to make it more clear.”