In a twist of fate that seems like a throwback to the golden age of cable, Netflix, the service that revolutionized television, is bringing TV back to its core: a channel. In the next few months, Netflix will begin streaming live TV from France’s largest commercial TV broadcaster, TF1 Group, to its French users.

A turning point for how streaming and linear TV continue to converge.

TF1’s Channels & 30,000+ Hours of Content on Netflix

Starting this summer, Netflix users in France will have access to five of TF1’s channels — live, for the first time. This isn’t the end of the deal, however.

Netflix will also host over 30,000 hours of on-demand content from TF1. In other words, French subscribers will be able to watch reality hits like The Voice, scripted dramas, live sports, and much more — all on Netflix, in real time or on-demand.

This new partnership between Netflix and TF1, first reported by the Financial Times, feels like a callback to the days of cable — but it’s a forward-looking play by both companies. For Netflix, it’s a way to drive engagement on a daily basis and keep people on the service amid fierce competition. And for TF1, it’s a way to reach a whole new audience while bringing in additional ad revenue.

The two companies have worked together before on content, like the historical French drama series Les Combattantes (Women at War). This deal is just another layer of that partnership.

The deal terms weren’t disclosed. But both sides are optimistic — this isn’t an experiment.

Peters said that this was “a way to provide more value to consumers” as Netflix hasn’t released subscriber numbers since last year. “Teaming up with France’s leading broadcaster,” he added, “will allow us to provide French consumers with even more reasons to come to Netflix every day and stay with us for all their entertainment needs.”

The deal benefits TF1 as well. TF1 will continue to sell ads in its channels — which can now be shown to Netflix’s millions of users. It brings new monetization opportunities and a new platform for French advertisers.

TF1 Group CEO Rodolphe Belmer called the deal “unprecedented.” He said that the deal will bring TF1’s content to more people in a “more fragmented” landscape. He also said that the deal fits into TF1’s own offering while accessing Netflix’s distribution.

“We want to get the most out of it,” Belmer said, “and let’s see if we can see what we can get from it. Linear TV is in secular decline. We tried to offset that decline. And we also tried to benefit from the strong power of Netflix.”

This deal could also help Netflix reach French regulatory requirements, which mandate that services reinvest 20-25% of revenue generated in France into local content. The TF1 deal fits that to a T.

TF1 is a big player. Its TV channels reach 58 million viewers each month, and its streaming service TF1+ attracts 35 million viewers each month. Netflix has 10 million subscribers in France, as co-CEO Ted Sarandos revealed in 2022.

There’s plenty of room for growth here. If this deal works, Netflix could try to strike similar deals in other European markets — or in the US. Peters said that Netflix was open to such deals but that it wanted to see how this deal performs first.

The deal comes as TV viewing continues to shift away from traditional broadcast and cable channels. In fact, this week, Nielsen reported that streaming hit a new milestone. It now accounts for 44.8% of all TV viewership, surpassing cable (24.1%) and broadcast (20.1%) for the first time since Nielsen began tracking the metric in 2021.

Other linear channels are already partnering with services like YouTube TV. The Netflix-TF1 deal is a direct path into millions of homes, though. It could be a model for struggling broadcasters to stay relevant — and generate revenue — in a streaming-first world.

As Peters said, many French people are already turning to Netflix for television. This deal may make that even truer.