Netflix broadcasts linear television in France
Netflix and the media company TF1 will soon offer linear television streaming in France. Content will be included in the normal subscription.
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Netflix is turning its attention to traditional television: In France, the streaming service has entered into a partnership with the TF1 Group to offer the media company's linear content on streaming. From summer 2026, French people will be able to watch TV on Netflix – and even watch some content on demand via the TF1+ library.
TF1 is the largest French media company and claims to reach 58 million viewers per month. Both companies have been working together for years on co-productions of films and series, Netflix writes in a statement. The new partnership will make France the first country in the world to offer linear television via Netflix, as is the case with IPTV services. Financial information on the deal was not disclosed.
“Unique partnership”
“This is a unique partnership that plays to our strengths of offering audiences the best entertainment,” commented Netflix CEO Greg Peters on the agreement. The partnership should provide French customers with further arguments for accessing Netflix every day and staying for as long as possible.
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According to the press release, TF1 content will be available on Netflix's normal subscriptions. There will therefore be no extra charge or additional subscription. The on-demand content from TF1 will be sorted and searchable like all other films and series, according to Netflix.
In addition to scripted series, this content also includes reality formats and sports content, writes Netflix. The US streaming service recently introduced a new TV interface designed to improve the display of such streams. With the new design, certain highlights, including live sports streams, for example, are to be displayed larger on the homepage. The streaming service has been striving to broadcast more live sporting events for several years.
So far, Netflix has not announced any plans to broadcast linear television in other countries. However, Netflix has to lay the technical foundations by 2026 anyway – so it is reasonable to suspect that the TF1 model could also become acceptable in other countries.
(dahe)
