Netflix is dipping its toes into live TV, signaling a seismic shift in the streaming wars. The company will begin streaming five of France’s leading commercial TV channels on its platform beginning in the summer of 2025, according to the Financial Times. Netflix has signed a long-term deal with TF1 Group, one of France’s top commercial TV broadcasters.

A company best known for decimating the traditional TV landscape is taking a page from the playbook. It will give Netflix users in France the experience of traditional TV within a modern streaming service. It will give users access to the broadcaster’s content in addition to offering live access to its linear channels. In addition to live access to its channels, Netflix will also offer on-demand access to more than 30,000 hours of TF1 content by summer 2026, which will include hit reality shows like The Voice, scripted dramas, and live sports. It will be another avenue for French users to consume entertainment, and it will bolster Netflix’s content library in the country.

Netflix and TF1 have already worked together, collaborating on the French historical drama series Les Combattantes (Women at War) in 2020. But the partnership goes far beyond co-production. This is a deeper integration of live TV within the streaming service — something that few streaming services have done.

No financial details were disclosed, but the size of the deal indicates a long-term commitment from Netflix. Co-CEO Greg Peters said the deal will allow the company to increase daily engagement, an important metric now that Netflix no longer discloses subscriber counts. “This partnership allows us to offer French consumers even more reasons to come to Netflix every day and to stay with us for all their entertainment needs,” he said.

TF1 has long been a powerhouse in France, with live channels that have reached 58 million monthly viewers. The broadcaster’s partnership with Netflix will open up new avenues for exposure and advertising, too. The linear channels will continue to air ads, which could appeal to more advertisers who will benefit from a broader audience.

“It is in line with our digital transformation project, and will provide our premium content to an audience never seen before,” TF1 CEO Rodolphe Belmer said in a statement. “Linear television is in secular decline. It is therefore important to innovate, and the alliance will allow us to benefit from the incredible power of Netflix, which continues to represent a major actor in audience gain and content consumption.”

The deal will also benefit Netflix in a regulatory way. Under French law, streaming services must reinvest 20 to 25% of their revenues in France in original content. By partnering with TF1, Netflix will be able to meet that requirement while growing its own content library with familiar, local programming.

It will also give Netflix an avenue to reach a much larger number of viewers. TF1’s live channels already have 58 million monthly viewers. Its streaming platform, TF1+, has 35 million users. By contrast, Netflix only has just over 10 million subscribers in France, co-CEO Ted Sarandos told The Financial Times in 2022.

But by introducing TF1’s traditional audience to Netflix, and vice versa, the partnership will be a win-win. It could help the two services engage each other’s audience, resulting in a virtuous cycle of engagement and audience visibility.

That may only be the beginning, though. Peters said the company will study how the TF1 deal performs before considering deals in other markets. If successful, it could become a playbook for the company in other European markets and possibly the U.S.

That pivot comes as consumer behavior changes. In May, streaming surpassed both cable (24.1%) and broadcast (20.1%) for the first time since 2021, reaching 44.8% of all TV consumption, according to Nielsen.

It’s not the first time linear channels have been available on streaming services like YouTube TV. But Netflix integrating live channels signals a shift. Streaming services aren’t just taking over television — they’re cannibalizing it.

With the TF1 deal, Netflix is now poised to be the go-to place for all forms of entertainment, from binge-worthy shows to live sports to television at any moment.

For many French users, Netflix is already the equivalent of television. It’s about to become television itself.