It’s official. Netflix is adding live TV to its lineup. Beginning in summer 2025, Netflix will launch five linear TV channels provided by France’s top commercial broadcaster, TF1 Group.

In a strategic twist, the world’s largest streamer is adapting one of its signature moves: helping to dismantle television. As Financial Times reports, in the deal, Netflix will offer its subscribers in France the chance to watch the same five linear TV channels within its streamer. Beyond live access to those channels, Netflix subscribers will also gain access to over 30,000 hours of on-demand programming from TF1 Group in summer 2026.

The on-demand offering will include popular reality shows like The Voice, scripted dramas, and live sports. It’s an opportunity for Netflix to widen its entertainment offering in France, and another chance to win over TV lovers who may have been alienated by the company’s original pitch to give up the habit.

This deal follows a previous partnership between Netflix and TF1, co-producing the French drama series Les Combattantes (Women at War) back in 2017. But this partnership takes that arrangement much further, integrating live broadcast into the Netflix interface in a way few streamers have even attempted.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it’s a big enough partnership to last. “Our partnership with France’s leading broadcaster will provide French consumers with even more reasons to visit Netflix every day, and stay with us for all of their entertainment,” said Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters.

TF1 Group’s CEO Rodolphe Belmer said the partnership aligns with the company’s digital strategy. “In the current context of on-demand viewing and rising fragmentation, this exceptional alliance will enable our premium content to reach a unique audience,” he said.

Belmer noted that while linear TV is in “secular decline,” alliances like this could help the company remain relevant by “benefiting from the massive driving force of Netflix.”

Regulatory Relief and Growth

For Netflix, the partnership also offers regulatory relief. Under French law, streaming services are required to reinvest 20 to 25% of their French earnings into local content. Partnering with TF1 helps Netflix comply with that regulation while also growing its library with more popular and culturally-relevant content.

There’s also a huge growth opportunity for Netflix, especially in terms of reach. The five channels on TF1 draw 58 million viewers per month, while its OTT channel TF1+ attracts 35 million viewers. Meanwhile, Netflix has just over 10 million subscribers in France, co-CEO Ted Sarandos said last year.

The partnership will introduce TF1’s linear TV audience to Netflix — and vice versa — which creates a virtuous cycle of engagement and visibility.

This may be the beginning. “We’ll monitor how it works in France, and then we’ll consider it in other geographies, and in other kinds of models around the world,” said Peters. If successful, it could apply to other European countries and perhaps the U.S.

As consumers’ preferences continue to shift, streaming has already made its mark on the television landscape. In May, for example, 44.8% of all television was streamed, topping both cable (24.1%) and broadcast (20.1%) for the first time since Nielsen began tracking the data in 2021.

As the industry has changed, linear channels are already available on services like YouTube TV. The Netflix model of integrating linear broadcast signals a new era. As streaming is no longer upending television, it’s integrating it.

For many French viewers, Netflix has felt like television for a long time. Now, it’s going to be television.