In a twist that no one saw coming, Netflix is planning to add live TV to its streaming service. Starting summer 2025, the company will offer five linear channels from the top commercial broadcaster in France, TF1 Group.

In one fell swoop, Netflix has upended its previous model of obliterating traditional TV and adopted it wholesale.

Netflix and TF1 are Teaming Up

According to the Financial Times, Netflix and TF1 will give its users access to live TV in a streaming format. Not only will the streaming platform include live broadcast channels, but by the summer of 2026, Netflix subscribers will have access to more than 30,000 hours of on-demand content from TF1.

The shows on offer include some of TF1’s most popular shows such as The Voice, scripted dramas, and live sports, adding another dimension to the content mix available on the platform. Netflix and TF1 have already partnered in the past on co-production projects such as the French historical drama Les Combattantes (translated as Women at War), but the new deal takes this relationship to the next level.

Beyond co-production projects, the two companies are integrating live TV directly into the streaming platform, a rarity in the streaming space. No financial terms were disclosed, but given the scale of the partnership, this is a long-term deal.

“It is a chance to increase the number of hours people spend engaged with our service each day, which is an area where we’ve made less of a priority recently since we stopped reporting our subscriber numbers,” Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters said in an interview with the FT.

“For us, this is an opportunity to provide French consumers with even more reasons to come to Netflix every day and to stay with us for all of their entertainment needs.”

For TF1, the agreement is a big deal in terms of exposure and the potential to reach more viewers and advertisers. The live channels on TF1 will continue to feature ads, which gives TF1 a larger platform and bigger appeal to advertisers.

“It’s a game-changer in our ability to reach audiences and meet the advertising objectives we aim to achieve,” said Rodolphe Belmer, the chief executive of TF1 Group. “Our alliance with Netflix will enable our prime-time channels to reach unparalleled audiences.”

The company CEO added that in a world where linear TV was in “secular decline,” the deal will allow the company to benefit from the “massive growth” of Netflix.

Netflix also gains from this deal in a regulatory sense. Under French law, streaming platforms must reinvest 20 to 25 percent of their revenue from that country into local content. Partnering with TF1 gives Netflix an opportunity to meet that mandate while expanding its content library with more familiar, culturally relevant content.

On top of that, there is a huge viewership opportunity here. TF1’s channels get around 58 million viewers each month, and its streaming platform TF1+ has 35 million users. In comparison, Netflix has just under 10 million subscribers in France, according to co-CEO Ted Sarandos in 2022.

With this agreement, Netflix could gain TF1’s audience and vice versa, creating a virtuous cycle of engagement and visibility for both sides.

And this could be the beginning. “We’ll learn a lot from how this goes in France, but we will see what other opportunities there are for this type of arrangement in other regions,” Peters said. If the model works, then the plan could extend to other countries in Europe and potentially the US.

Consumer behavior continues to evolve, and linear channels are no longer at the top of their game. Nielsen found that in May, streaming made up 44.8% of total TV viewership, outpacing both cable (24.1%) and broadcast (20.1%) for the first time since Nielsen began tracking TV viewership in 2021.

Some linear channels are already available on services such as YouTube TV, but Netflix integrating live broadcast channels is a new model altogether. Streaming platforms are not just replacing traditional TV, but now absorbing it.

With the TF1 deal, Netflix is now becoming the platform for all things entertainment — whether it’s the latest binge-worthy drama or live sports, or even real-time TV.

Many French viewers already feel like they are on Netflix. With the TF1 deal, Netflix is now poised to become the one-stop shop for all entertainment.