When it comes to breaking down traditional TV, it would be hard to find a better example than Netflix. Netflix is adding live broadcast TV to its platform. Starting in summer 2025, subscribers in France will have access to five linear broadcast channels through its platform from the country’s leading commercial broadcaster, TF1 Group.

The move marks a surprising shift in the company’s approach. After all, the streaming service was instrumental in destroying TV. But now, it’s taking from its own playbook.

Netflix and TF1: The Next Frontier

The agreement between Netflix and TF1 will give its subscribers in France a live broadcast TV experience inside the streaming platform. Netflix subscribers will have access to more than 30,000 hours of on-demand content from TF1 by the summer of 2026. That includes reality show hits like The Voice, scripted dramas, and live sports. It will give French viewers more content options and expand Netflix’s footprint in the country.

Netflix and TF1 have previously partnered on content. The two companies co-produced the historical drama Les Combattantes, which is known as Women at War internationally. This agreement, however, goes further. Instead of simply co-producing, Netflix is integrating the live broadcast channel into the streaming interface. This is a bold step that few streaming services have made.

No financial details of the deal were disclosed, but the agreement covers several different kinds of content, which likely drove the cost. Given the length of the agreement, however, it seems likely that Netflix and TF1 aren’t just interested in one-off content.

“We’re excited to provide another way for people to engage with Netflix daily,” Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters said. “We know that this agreement will drive even more daily engagement as the benefits of Netflix and TF1 combined create more reasons for people to come to Netflix every day and stay there for all their entertainment needs.”

The deal is a game-changer for TF1. Its live channels will be available through Netflix and have access to advertising opportunities. The additional exposure should be beneficial for the company, and the brand association with Netflix will appeal to its advertisers.

“It is very complementary for TF1 to develop and strengthen the entertainment offer on its platforms by relying on the undeniable strengths of the Netflix service,” TF1 CEO Rodolphe Belmer said in a statement. “Our ambition is to adapt our content offer to meet the new viewing habits of our audiences, which are increasingly turning towards on-demand and which have an ever greater fragmentation of the TV landscape. This unprecedented alliance will make it possible to offer our premium content to a wider audience than ever before.”

Belmer added that while linear TV is “in a state of secular decline,” the partnership could keep the company relevant. “Benefiting from the driving force of Netflix,” he said, “we will also be able to adapt the broadcasting model and propose original content in response to the new habits of the digital world.”

Why Now for Netflix?

For Netflix, the deal is a means of complying with the law. Under French law, the country’s streaming platforms must reinvest 20 to 25 percent of revenue from their French activity in local content. By partnering with TF1, Netflix can meet that requirement and bolster its library with programming that will appeal to its French subscribers.

Moreover, the agreement provides Netflix with a huge growth opportunity in terms of audience. TF1’s live channels average 58 million viewers per month. Its streaming platform, TF1+, attracts 35 million users. Netflix, meanwhile, has 10 million subscribers in France, co-CEO Ted Sarandos said in 2022.

The deal could help Netflix grow its subscriber base by bringing the viewership of the other platforms to the platform. TF1’s channels could introduce Netflix’s subscribers to the streamer, and vice versa.

That’s an outcome that Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters wants to see. The partnership “will help us understand the opportunity there for us,” he said. “We’ll learn from it and see how it performs. Then we’ll make decisions on whether to pursue similar partnerships in other geographies and in the US.”

The change also fits into an ongoing trend in TV. Consumers are watching less TV than they did before the pandemic, according to Nielsen. Streaming is now 44.8 percent of TV consumption, surpassing both cable (24.1 percent) and broadcast (20.1 percent) for the first time since tracking started in 2021.

The agreement is a new step for Netflix, which has integrated live content into its platform. It could mark a new direction for other streaming services, as well. Some of these companies are already working with linear channels on other platforms. YouTube TV, for example, offers access to broadcast channels. But Netflix’s integration of live channels is another step forward. As it prepares for its expansion, streaming services aren’t just killing television, they’re appropriating it.

The new agreement with TF1 means Netflix will offer more than the series that once defined the platform. By adding sports and live content, the company may now be the go-to platform for all forms of entertainment. For many French viewers, Netflix is already like television. Now, it’s going to become television.