In an odd twist of irony, Netflix, the company that has disrupted television, is putting broadcast channels on its platform. Starting next summer, Netflix will stream live TV from France’s largest commercial broadcaster, TF1 Group, to its French users.

A New step in the Convergence of Streaming and Traditional TV

It’s a bold move, but in a rather ironic twist, too. From summer 2025, Netflix users in France will have access to five TF1 linear channels. In other words, live TV is now coming to Netflix’s streaming-only platform. But it doesn’t end there.

By 2026, Netflix will also host more than 30,000 hours of on-demand content from TF1. French users will be able to watch reality shows like The Voice, scripted dramas, live sports, and an entire range of entertainment, straight from Netflix — live or on-demand.

The agreement between the two giants, reported by the Financial Times, could be reminiscent of the cable era. But it’s not just a nostalgic, rehashed deal. For Netflix, it’s a way to boost daily engagement and retain its customers as the competition heats up across the streaming landscape. For TF1, it opens a massive new audience and increases advertising revenue.

Even though Netflix and TF1 have collaborated on some projects, like the historical French series Les Combattantes (Women at War), this deal is a whole new level.

Financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed yet. But both parties seem to agree — this is no trial run.

The deal was announced as a “landmark” by Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters, who highlighted it as a move to get subscribers to engage more often with the platform. The company stopped publishing subscriber numbers last year.

“By teaming up with France’s 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.”

The benefits are no less compelling for TF1. The broadcaster will still run ads during its linear shows, which now have a new avenue to reach Netflix’s user base. This is a new source of revenue and visibility for French advertisers.

“An unprecedented deal” — that’s how TF1 CEO Rodolphe Belmer described the agreement. “It allows our content to reach a broader audience in a very fragmented media landscape,” he added, saying that the deal complements TF1’s existing platform, TF1+, and its huge distribution network.

He did not shy away from the fact that traditional media is struggling. “Linear TV is in secular decline,” he said. “We’ve tried to compensate for that… but also by trying to catch up and take advantage of the huge driving force of Netflix.”

Perhaps Netflix’s decision to stream live TV is also an attempt to comply with French regulation. The law requires streaming services to reinvest 20–25% of the revenue they generate in France in local content. This deal ticks all the boxes.

TF1’s audience is big. The broadcaster’s TV channels draw 58 million viewers each month, while its streaming platform TF1+ attracts another 35 million users per month. Meanwhile, Netflix has over 10 million subscribers in France, as co-CEO Ted Sarandos pointed out in 2022.

The deal also gives Netflix a chance to expand. If it works, the company could strike similar deals across Europe — or even in the U.S. Peters said the company is open to the idea, but “we’ll see how this goes.”

But other broadcasters are already turning to platforms like YouTube TV. A deal with Netflix would allow them to go straight to homes, without all the fuss of a full-blown platform. It could even be a model for TV stations in the U.S. that are floundering as linear viewership declines.

“This deal is another way to bring people to Netflix, and to keep them there for longer,” said Peters. “As people continue to cut the cord and consume their entertainment on their own terms, our goal is to be the best destination for entertainment in people’s lives.”