What just happened?

TF1 and Netflix have agreed a new distribution deal which will bring the French commercial broadcasters’ live and on-demand content to the global platforms’ subscribers in France. Commencing in summer 2026, the deal will include content from both TF1’s free-to-air channels and streaming platform TF1+. Netflix previously experimented with ‘Netflix Direct’ in France back in 2020, which offers a curated playlist of its original content in a linear format on the service. However, this deal marks the first time Netflix has incorporated live linear channels from a third-party onto its service— a major move for the platform as it looks increasingly towards a focus on engagement and retention rather than subscribers alone.  The partnership has received much fanfare, and is unique in terms of its integration between an established free TV broadcaster and a leading OTT provider but, taking a step back, is very similar to arrangements that have existed for years between broadcasters and pay TV providers. This is perhaps a signal of where Netflix now sees itself in its development cycle and how indeed others perceive Netflix. 

What’s in it for Netflix? 

Despite being the leading streaming service in France, Netflix’s penetration currently sits at 48% of connected homes in France in 2025, making up 13.7m subscribers, compared to around 60% in the UK and USA. This is largely due to a strong FTA network in France with compelling BVOD platforms which directly compete against the likes of Netflix and other subscription services in this market. According to Ampere’s Consumer survey, France is one of the last remaining European markets in which the weekly viewing time of scheduled linear TV exceeds that of subscription OTT. This presents an opportunity to tap into a highly engaged audience that remains relatively loyal to linear TV, and will allow it to drive engagement to its platform by appealing to the 32% of Netflix users in France that also watch TF1’s linear channels.  This deal will also rapidly increase the volume of high-quality French content available for the service. With TF1 averaging around $1bn per year in content spend for French audiences (almost double the level of Netflix itself on French productions), it will be hoping popular French content from TF1, such as reality show The Voice, and dramas such as Carpe Diem and Flashback will help it limit churn among existing subscribers. This influx of popular content will also give consumers more to watch at a time where content budgets are being stretched thin, and allows Netflix to shield its customers from economic turbulence. It may also be a way for Netflix to more easily fulfil EU content quotas for European works. Ultimately the relationship will provide a testbed to assess the potential for similar relationships in other markets.

What’s in it for TF1? 

For TF1, the large footprint of Netflix also offers the broadcaster the opportunity to extend its local reach, targeting younger demographics that are less likely to engage with broadcast television and its content, and appealing to the 22% of consumers in France that use Netflix but do not watch TF1 channels or use TF1+. Much like many other groups, TF1’s strategy is becoming increasingly digital-focused to capitalise on shifting consumer trends as audiences increasingly seek out the convenience and expansive catalogues available to them via streaming to keep entertained. In addition, TF1 will benefit from prominence on Netflix, with its own TF1 section on the streaming service where its content and channels will be housed. This will allow TF1 to ensure its content will not be diluted into Netflix’s vast catalogue, and that its brand identity is maintained through the shows it licenses to Netflix. TF1 is expected to maintain control of its own ad inventory and this looks like a great opportunity the broadcaster to understand how its content behaves in a different environment. An open question remains how TF1 content will be positioned and whether this will be in front of or behind the Netflix paywall. A free ‘front porch’ seems most logical given the free nature of access to TF1 services in market. It also raises questions as to how much of TF1’s acquired content will be available due to potential rights issues.

What’s Next? 

This deal only strengthens an already strong relationship in a key European market.   The two companies have previously worked together on a number of co-productions and Ampere expects this is an area that will expand further and may well be part of the structure of this deal. It remains to be seen if Netflix and other European broadcasters will look to adopt this strategy in other European markets but they would seem likely. This  partnership demonstrates how in order to remain competitive within the current challenging macroeconomic landscape, we are seeing an increasing amount of collaboration between traditional and digital players. Much of the recent focus has been on how YouTube is increasingly being seen by traditional broadcasters as a way to extend their reach. With this news, Netflix has signalled there is more than one game in town.