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Supply Chains

 On 18 June 2025, Netflix announced a landmark partnership with TF1 that will launch in summer 2026, bringing TF1’s live channels, on-demand library, and premium sports coverage directly into Netflix in France. This integration allows subscribers to watch everything from daily soaps and drama series to live sports without leaving the Netflix app—a first for the platform.

It is designed to counter audience fragmentation by consolidating viewing in one place while meeting European local-content obligations. Viewers will see TF1’s flagship channels side by side with Netflix Originals, enhancing convenience and boosting engagement.

Quotes:

“This is a first-of-its-kind partnership that plays to our strengths of giving audiences the best entertainment alongside the best discovery experience.” – Greg Peters, Co-CEO, Netflix.

“As viewing habits shift toward on-demand consumption and audience fragmentation increases, this unprecedented alliance will enable our premium content to reach unparalleled audiences.” – Rodolphe Belmer, CEO, TF1 Group.

On 3 July 2025, France Télévisions signed a historic distribution deal with Amazon Prime Video. Effective immediately, Prime members in France can access the entire France.TV service via Prime Video Channels.

This includes live streams of France 2, 3, 4, 5, and Info, plus nearly 20,000 on-demand titles across drama, entertainment, kids content, documentaries, and premium sports like the Tour de France. The agreement marks a major step in modernizing France Télévisions’ public-service mission, ensuring its programming remains visible and accessible in a fragmented, on-demand streaming landscape.

Quotes:

“With this unprecedented distribution method, our group is taking a historic step forward in strengthening the visibility of its public service offering.” – Delphine Ernotte Cunci, CEO, France Télévisions.

“We are constantly looking for new ways to expand the range of quality content available to our customers and confirm Prime Video as the number one entertainment destination.” – Christophe Deguine, MD, Prime Video France.

Netflix–TF1: Transforming Distribution and Production Strategy

This partnership goes beyond licensing to embed  French Broadcaster TF1’s entire service directly inside Netflix, turning it into a single destination for both international and premium French content. It builds on an established history of co-productions, such as Les Combattantes, L’Agence, Tout le bleu du ciel (2025), and Tout Pour La Lumière, showing a commitment to shared production risk and creative alignment.

Netflix’s own France-originated output has grown from around 14 titles annually in 2021–2022 to over 25 by 2024, while TF1 remains a powerhouse with substantial volumes—producing well over 200 titles per year in recent years. This deal lets Netflix rapidly expand its local offering while maintaining quality and meeting European content quotas. France, along with Spain, is Netflix’s second-largest European production hub (after the UK), underscoring the strategic importance of this deep integration.

France Télévisions–Amazon Prime Video: Expanding Public Service Through Aggregation

French Broadcaster France Télévisions’ agreement with Prime Video ensures that its public-service content is fully integrated into one of France’s most popular streaming platforms. It guarantees live access to all France.tv channels and an extensive on-demand library, immediately boosting discoverability among digital-first audiences.

This partnership also rests on existing co-productions such as Anaon (2025) and Dark Hearts (Cœurs Noirs, 2023–2025), which show a move from basic licensing to joint development of high-quality, locally resonant originals. France Télévision remains amongst France’s largest original content producer with 400–550 new titles annually, while Amazon Prime Video’s local output, though growing, is ~8–15 titles per year. France is also Amazon’s 4th-largest European production hub (after Spain, the UK, and Italy), reinforcing the strategic value of this market.

These landmark alliances represent a fundamental transformation of the distribution layer in the Media & Entertainment value chain. Broadcasters are moving from defending linear audiences to embedding their entire services within global streaming platforms to combat fragmentation and improve discoverability.

They also reshape production planning and commissioning workflows, moving from isolated licensing deals to integrated co-productions that reduce risk, share costs, and help meet EU content quotas.

Additionally, these deals will impact the localisation section of the supply chain. As large volumes of French (traditionally domestic) content are distributed through global platforms, demand for dubbing, subtitling, and multilingual metadata will rise sharply to ensure accessibility and engagement for diverse audiences.

For Vitrina members, these deals represent a pivotal moment where the lines between local broadcasters and global streamers are blurring into strategic, interdependent alliances. But important questions remain:

• Will these deals lead to overall production volumes going up or down?
• Will French productions increase or contract as streamers prioritize bundled distribution over commissioning originals?
• Are global platforms prepared to contribute their international originals to these local broadcaster environments—with additional French localization—or will the traffic be mostly one way?
• France has been the early proving ground. Will other European markets see similar competitive patterns from Netflix and Prime Video?

Vitrina will be watching these questions closely, as they will shape the future of licensing strategies, production investment decisions, advertising models, and technology priorities across the global Media & Entertainment supply chain.