Netflix rolls out TF1+ in France after landmark deal

TF1 Group’s live channels and on-demand content has officially become available to Netflix subscribers in France from today.

The landmark launch comes exactly one year after the companies made waves with the news of their unprecedented collaboration, which marked the platform’s first partnership with a traditional broadcaster and a sign of accelerated consolidation between linear and streaming models in Europe.

TF1 content is now available to Netflix subscribers in the territory with a supplemental fee, providing access to drama series and popular local soaps, reality and competition programming.

Live broadcasts from the group’s local networks - TF1, TMC, TFX, TF1 Series Films and 24-hour news channel LCI - are also available, as well as access to live sporting events such as the Rugby Nations Championship and French football team matches.

Rights and reach

Netflix is not directly licensing TF1 content, but instead bringing the TF1+ on demand service onto its platform. As such, TF1 will continue to hold rights to the content, which is geolocalised to France, and users will be subject to TF1’s advertising when watching shows.

TF1 programming already on Netflix via co-productions and past licensing deals will remain on the streamer, including recent historical thriller series Summer 36 (aka L’Ete 36), which premiered on TF1 in May before hitting Netflix on 1 June.

Netflix content, however, is not available on TF1+, while questions have also been raised around the impact of the deal on second window sales.

The interface between Netflix and TF1+ is designed to be “seamless and personalised” according to Netflix co-chief exec Greg Peters. Netflix users can access TF1 content without having to leave the platform and TF1 livestreaming and on-demand content will incorporate Netflix features like ’Continue Watching’, ‘My List,’ and ‘Top 10’ rows.

Peters said the TF1 partnership “brings together two strong, complementary content offerings in a world-class user experience, delivering even more entertainment value for our members in France.” 

TF1 Group chief exec Rodolphe Belmer added: “By combining our programming with the power of Netflix’s recommendations, we will reach new audiences together and open up new opportunities for our advertisers”.

The pact underlines the attempts by broadcasters and streamers to partner in order to capture larger, younger audiences in the case of the former and secure local programming in the latter.

Prime Video and France Televisions unveiled a similar carriage deal last year shortly after the TF1-Netflix announcement, with the French public broadcaster’s linear channels, live sports coverage and France.tv streaming platform accessible to subscribers since July.

Other deals have seen Disney+ partnering with broadcasters such as the UK’s ITV, and RTVE and Atresmedia in Spain, but those deals are far less comprehensive in terms of content being shared compared with the Netflix/TF1 agreement,

Netflix did not disclose the financial details of its TF1 collaboration or the timeline for how long it would be in place, but they consider it to be a long-term partnership.

Netflix also did not divulge plans for similar carriage deals in nearby European territories. It is currently concentrated on its TF1 roll-out and is not actively looking to bring other French broadcasters onto its service in the short term.

TF1 is France’s leading commercial broadcaster and reaches nearly 60 million monthly viewers on its linear channels and some 38 million on the TF1+ streaming service. Netflix does not reveal its figures, but confirmed it had reached 10 million households in 2022. It is now believed to count some 13 million subscribers in the territory, who sit alongside more than 300 million globally across more than 190 countries.