In a full-circle twist for the streaming wars, Netflix is bringing live broadcast channels to its service in France next year.

Starting in summer 2025, all Netflix subscribers in France will have access to five TF1 Group channels through the service. That includes TF1 itself, along with direct access to TFX, TF1 Séries Films, LCI, and HD1. Rather than having to switch between streaming apps, Netflix users will be able to watch linear channels within Netflix itself.

The partnership doesn’t stop there, however. By the summer of 2026, Netflix users in France will also be able to access over 30,000 hours of on-demand content from TF1, including dramas, The Voice and other reality shows, and live sports.

Though the move seems odd on the surface, it’s not as strange as it might seem. For years, Netflix helped pave the way for the downfall of traditional cable. Now, it’s incorporating elements of that traditional world into its platform.

Netflix and TF1 aren’t strangers, though. They’ve worked together on multiple projects in the past, including Les Combattantes, a French historical miniseries known in English as Women at War. The new deal, however, represents a new chapter in that partnership.

Financial terms of the deal weren’t shared. But it’s clear that the partnership isn’t just an experiment for either party.

In a call with reporters, Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters noted the value of the partnership for both users and shareholders. After the company recently opted to stop sharing subscriber numbers, it’s doubling down on engagement as a performance metric.

“We believe this partnership with France’s largest broadcaster will deliver significant value for our members, for our investors, and for all of the talented people behind the content that will appear on Netflix,” Peters said. “By teaming up with the leader in France, we will give French consumers even more reasons to come to Netflix every day and to stay with us for all of their entertainment.”

On the other side, the partnership allows TF1 to generate new revenue — and especially with advertising. The broadcaster will still run commercials during its linear channels. With Netflix’s massive user base, that means far more eyeballs than before.

TF1 CEO Rodolphe Belmer called the partnership a response to changing viewing habits and a “fragmentation of audiences.” He described it as “an unprecedented alliance that will allow TF1 to make its premium content available to an unprecedented audience.”

Belmer also touted the advertising revenue that the deal unlocks, and noted the complementary nature of the partnership in an ecosystem that includes TF1’s streaming service, TF1+.

For Netflix, the deal could also help the company meet local regulatory requirements. Since 2021, the French government has required streaming platforms to invest 20 to 25 percent of their French revenues in local content. It’s safe to say this partnership helps the company hit that goal.

There’s also an audience growth angle. According to FT, TF1’s linear channels currently reach around 58 million viewers each month, while its streaming service, TF1+, reaches 35 million monthly users. In contrast, Netflix had just over 10 million French subscribers in 2022, according to co-CEO Ted Sarandos.

If the partnership is successful, it could prompt similar deals in other countries. Peters said the company will wait to see how the TF1 partnership performs before considering more such partnerships.

The deal is part of a larger trend in the way people consume media. Earlier this week, Nielsen reported that for the first time since it began tracking TV viewership in 2021, streaming represented 44.8% of TV consumption in May. That’s greater than cable (24.1%) and broadcast (20.1%) combined.

As streaming takes a larger piece of the pie, linear broadcasters that seemed on the brink of collapse just a few years ago may find a new life within those same platforms. Rather than try to compete with streaming, TF1 appears to be leaning into it.

“Linear TV is in secular decline,” Belmer admitted. “We have tried to offset this… by creating our own free-to-view platform. But also by trying to partner and take advantage of the huge drive that Netflix represents.”

For viewers in France, though, the change will likely feel like an extension of what they’re already doing. As Peters put it to FT, “For most people, they don’t think of Netflix as streaming. They think of Netflix as TV.” With this partnership, that perception may become a reality — not just in France, but around the world.