Watching the evening news on Netflix will be possible from summer 2026 after the American platform agreed to stream channels from the French group TF1, according to a groundbreaking partnership announced on Wednesday.
This distribution agreement, whose duration and financial details remain undisclosed, will allow viewers to access TF1’s five live channels (TF1, LCI, TMC, TFX, TF1 Series Films) and its TF1+ platform.
This includes shows like the series Brocéliande with Nolwenn Leroy and the talent show The Voice, as well as sports events, all "without ever leaving the Netflix environment" and its recommendation system, a statement confirmed.
This partnership marks a global first, as the streaming giant has never previously opened its platform to another operator.
In recent years, TF1 and Netflix have increased collaborations, co-producing series such as Le Bazar de la Charité in 2019 and more recently, the daily serial Tout pour la lumière.
Their success "proved there was obvious demand," explained Netflix’s co-CEO Greg Peters to AFP, expressing his excitement about advancing with France’s "largest (private) broadcaster."
"There was an evident opportunity," he added, noting that "in France, people view Netflix as a means to access television."
The decision is somewhat surprising from TF1, given that the European media giant aims to make TF1+, which launched in early 2024, the leading free streaming platform in France and francophone countries.
"TF1+ is and will remain central to our strategy," assured TF1 CEO Rodolphe Belmer to AFP, highlighting a partnership that is “truly complementary” amid fragmented audiences and increased on-demand viewership.
Reaching Netflix’s "very large" subscriber base, which is attached to this paid service, should enable TF1 to boost viewership of its programmes, "monetised mainly through advertising," according to Belmer, to “fund the best possible programme offer for French-speaking audiences.”
"We naturally considered the potential cannibalisation of TF1+ and conducted extensive analyses," Belmer noted, concluding that the move "will be significantly positive for us in terms of audience," often citing competition from the free platform YouTube.
Netflix, which surpassed 10 million French household subscribers in 2022 and raised prices in France in April, will benefit from additional "complementary" content for its catalogue, according to Peters.
"TF1 excels in sports and live broadcasts, areas where we are currently not highly present, although we are developing them," Peters explained to AFP.
The streaming giant has notably broadcast two live matches of the American professional football league NFL and a boxing match between YouTuber Jake Paul and Mike Tyson in late 2024.
The "strong performance" of Tout pour la lumière, launched on Netflix on Friday and then on TF1 and TFX on Monday, demonstrates “the power of this model,” said Peters.
Both leaders declined to comment on the division of advertising revenue under the new agreement.
As for the potential expansion of this partnership to other players in France and abroad, nothing is currently planned by either Netflix or TF1.
