TF1 to Launch on Netflix in 2026, Marking a Global First!

Starting next year, viewers will be able to watch shows like “Koh Lanta,” “HPI,” and the 8 PM news from TF1 on Netflix. This comes as part of a groundbreaking partnership that will see the American streaming service broadcasting TF1’s channels and its TF1+ content starting summer 2026.

This distribution deal, whose terms and duration remain undisclosed, will offer both live access to all five of TF1’s channels (TF1, the top-ranked network in France, along with LCI, TMC, TFX, and TF1 Séries films) and to shows from its TF1+ platform. This includes everything from the series “Brocéliande” starring Nolwenn Leroy to the talent show “The Voice,” and various sports events, all accessible without ever leaving the Netflix environment and its recommendation system, according to a press release.

This partnership marks a world first, with the streaming giant never before integrating another operator into its platform.

TF1 and Netflix have increased their collaborations over recent years, co-producing series like “Le bazar de la charité” in 2019 and the more recent daily soap “Tout pour la lumière”.

These collaborations have “demonstrated a clear demand,” Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters told AFP, expressing excitement about deepening ties with “France’s largest private broadcaster”.

“We sensed an opportunity” as “in France, Netflix is viewed by audiences as a primary way to access television,” he added.

However, this move may seem surprising given TF1’s ambitions to position its newly launched TF1+, set to debut in early 2024, as the leading free streaming platform in France and French-speaking territories.

“TF1+ remains at the core of our strategy,” TF1 CEO Rodolphe Belmer assured AFP, praising the partnership as “truly complementary” in an era of audience fragmentation and increased on-demand viewing.

Reaching Netflix’s “very large” subscriber base, who are loyal to the paid service, should help boost viewership of TF1’s mostly ad-supported programming, thereby “funding the best possible programming offer for the Francophone audience,” he said.

– “New Model” –

“Of course, we considered the potential cannibalization of TF1+ and conducted extensive analysis,” Belmer noted, concluding that the partnership “will be highly positive for us in terms of audience.” He often highlights competition from free platforms like YouTube.

Meanwhile, Netflix, which surpassed 10 million French household subscribers in 2022 and raised its prices in France in April, will benefit from new “complementary” content, according to Greg Peters.

“TF1 excels in sports and live shows, areas where we are not very present at the moment, even though we are developing them,” the executive explained to AFP.

The streaming giant recently broadcast live two NFL games and a boxing match between YouTuber Jake Paul and Mike Tyson at the end of 2024.

Peters also looks forward to offering daily soaps from TF1 like “Demain nous appartient” and “Ici tout commence,” genres that are well-received by subscribers, he noted.

The “strong performance” of “Tout pour la lumière,” which premiered on Netflix and then aired on TF1 and TFX, “demonstrates the strength of this model,” according to Peters.

When asked about the division of advertising revenue under the new agreement, both executives declined to comment.

As for potentially extending this partnership to other players in France and abroad, nothing is currently planned at either Netflix or TF1.

“We honestly have a lot of work to do” before considering future steps, Peters explained. “It’s a new model (…) we want everyone to be satisfied.”

“We are fully focused” on this agreement that needs to be finalized with consumers “but also with the advertising market,” added Belmer.

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