- Visualization of figures can show the streaming overshadowed television for the first time
- The news comes while Netflix signs a distribution agreement with the TF1 of France
- Netflix will show the traditional television channels next year
Traditional television has just struck a new lower – for the first time in history, streaming services had a wider audience than combined broadcasting and cable chains. It is according to the official numbers of the American hearings of May, and in a poetic touch of timing, Netflix has just announced its very first agreement to broadcast traditional channels and live television.
In a link with the French television giant TF1 (as the Financial Times reported), the streaming platform will host its five traditional channels – as well as more than 30,000 hours of content on demand. From the summer of next year, subscribers in France will be able to look at everything, dramas during great listening hours The voiceAs well as live sports, including the matches of the national French football team.
The agreement marks a major change in the streaming landscape. Netflix has long been a disruptive threat to traditional television – now it buys and offers the medium a lifeline, hosting the live and linear program that it has helped to dethrone.
The timing of moving is particularly exquisite, because May was also the first month recorded when streaming became more popular than its traditional television rivals …
Cross the streams
According to Nielsen Data, May was the first month when streaming was more popular than cable and diffusion combined in the United States.
YouTube led the field (12.5%), followed by Netflix (7.5%). Nielsen data have limits – it only follows us visualization on television screens (smartphones, tablets and laptops are not included). But it is always a marked moment that reflects a broader trend: more people (especially younger audiences) completely abandon the programmed programming. Instead, they access content on demand via smart televisions, tablets and smartphones.
While streaming eats more screen time, traditional broadcasters are struggling to follow. The fragmented public and the decline in advertising revenues make maintenance of old models more difficult. While some have launched their own streaming services, such as Britbox – a joint venture between ITV and BBC Studios – they rarely reach a world range. Now, some networks are turning to their rivals streaming for traction.
TF1 is a perfect example. Its free TF1 + streaming service serves an important domestic audience, but remains strongly depends on advertising revenues. The Netflix subscriber base in France – which would have succeeded 10 million in 2022 – offers a much larger potential viewers’ basin. For TF1, the increase in a partnership is clear.
Savior competitor
For Netflix, the agreement brings new content to its platform. TF1 has a huge catalog, including popular dramas such as Brocéliande and reality TV shows like Koh-Lanta. Addressing The Financial Times, Greg Peters, Co-Chef de Netflix, said that many French viewers already thought of “TV like Netflix”.
Describing TF1 as a “producer of premium major content”, Peters underlined the variety of emissions that the link will bring to the platform. In a competitive market, where Netflix must continue to justify its increase in subscription costs, this is a decision that could help keep customers.
This is not the first time that the two companies have been working together. TF1 and Netflix previously collaborated on scripted co -productions such as The fighters And All the blue of the sky. But it is the first time that Netflix will broadcast live and planned television channels. This marks a major evolution in the way in which the platforms in streaming and the inherited broadcasters work together.
He also reflects how streaming has reshaped television itself – not just how we watch, but what is done. Programs like Lucifer (above), Silver Tâne And Designated survivor were all saved by Netflix after being canceled by their original networks. In more ways than one, streaming has gone from the television competitor to its Savior.
It remains to be seen whether this agreement signals the start of a broader change. Peters has suggested that Netflix would see how things happen with TF1 before deploying similar partnerships elsewhere. But it is a clear sign that the definition of “TV” has changed forever. While streaming exceeds traditional channels, the lines between the two are more vague than ever. And it is Netflix that defines the limits.
