It’s a surprise move — but Netflix is bringing live TV to its platform. Starting in the summer of 2025, French subscribers will be able to access five of the top commercial broadcaster TF1 Group’s linear channels.

The move is significant — the company that broke TV is now emulating it.

Netflix and TF1: The Deal

According to the Financial Times, Netflix and TF1 are partnering to offer viewers in France access to live TV in a new way — through the streaming platform. In addition to linear access to the channels, the deal includes on-demand access to more than 30,000 hours of TF1’s content by summer 2026.

That includes popular reality shows like The Voice, scripted dramas, and sports. It gives Netflix viewers in France more options and a broader suite of content for the streaming service in the region.

The two companies have already partnered in the past, co-producing the French historical drama Les Combattantes (known as Women at War internationally). But this deal goes beyond a co-production — it integrates linear television into the streaming interface — something few streaming services have done.

No terms of the deal were disclosed, but given the scope of the agreement, it’s a long-term bet.

Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters called the deal a way to grow “daily engagement” — a metric that has taken on more importance as the company no longer reports its subscriber count. “By teaming up with France’s leading broadcaster,” he said, “we will provide French consumers with even more reasons to come to Netflix every day and to stay with us for all their entertainment.”

TF1’s CEO Rodolphe Belmer called the alliance a “game changer” for the group, as it will help the channel reach more people and give it a stronger hand with advertisers.

“The evolution of viewing habits towards on-demand and the increasing fragmentation of audiences,” Belmer said, “necessitates this unprecedented alliance, which will allow our premium content to reach unprecedented audiences.”

He added that linear TV is in “secular decline” but alliances like this can allow it to remain relevant by “leveraging the enormous driving force of Netflix.”

Regulation — and Reaching Millions

But there’s a second benefit to the deal for Netflix — the regulatory one. Streaming services in France are required to reinvest 20 to 25% of the revenue generated in the country back into local content. By partnering with TF1, Netflix can now meet that requirement while continuing to expand its library with content that is already familiar to French viewers.

Then there’s the viewership opportunity. TF1’s linear channels have a monthly audience of 58 million, while its streaming service, TF1+, has 35 million users. Meanwhile, Netflix has just 10 million subscribers in France, co-CEO Ted Sarandos told Variety in 2022.

The integration will allow TF1’s traditional audience to discover Netflix — and vice versa — creating a feedback loop of engagement and visibility.

And this could be just the beginning. Peters said the company will watch the deal play out in France before considering expanding it to other countries. If it goes well, it could eventually come to other European markets and even the U.S.

As viewership continues to shift, streaming is dominating television. According to Nielsen, streaming viewership reached 44.8% of total TV viewership in May — ahead of cable (24.1%) and broadcast (20.1%) for the first time since Nielsen began tracking the numbers in 2021.

Some linear channels are already available on services like YouTube TV, but Netflix integrating linear TV into its app means that streaming services are no longer simply displacing television — they’re incorporating it.

The TF1 deal may position Netflix as the destination for all kinds of content — binge-worthy series, live sports, and live TV.

For many viewers in France, Netflix already is television. Now, it’s set to become television.