Netflix will start carrying live TV channels for the first time. It has inked a deal with French broadcaster TF1 to show its five broadcast channels as well as over 30,000 hours of on-demand content to users in France.
The deal takes effect from summer 2026.
For TF1, it means getting its content in front of more eyeballs, as every Netflix user in France will have it available from within the app. And for Netflix, it adds more localised content as well as live sports games.
The two companies have previously collaborated on co-productions like Les Combattantes, L’Agence and Tout le bleu du ciel.
Media commentators are heralding the deal as a sign of things to come.
NBCUniversal creative products director S.J. McKenzie wrote on LinkedIn that the deal "should have every U.S. media exec on alert."
She added: "While U.S. teams are still stuck optimizing bundles and measuring ‘attention’, Europe is building the next evolution of streaming."
Netflix has completely upended the traditional broadcast model of TV. Just recently, Netflix show Adolescence made history by becoming the most watched programme in the UK, garnering more views than traditional broadcasters like the BBC and Channel 4.
The streamer has also encroached on the previously broadcast-only area of adverts by introducing an ad-supported tier. According to market analysts Nielsen, May 2025 was the first month in which streaming was more popular than both cable and broadcast TV combined in the US.
Now it seems TF1 has take the approach of if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
MORE:
Read our Netflix review
The best streaming services for movies and TV shows
Disney Plus is secretly the best streaming service for music fans – here's why
