In a move that’s feels like a circle back to the beginning for the entire streaming industry, Netflix has announced it’ll start streaming live TV in France next summer.

Beginning in 2025, all Netflix subscribers in the country will have access to linear TV from the largest commercial broadcaster in France: TF1 Group. The agreement will bring five TF1 channels to the Netflix app, which means users will be able to watch TV from within the streamer without ever leaving the platform.

But that’s not all. According to the Financial Times, starting in the summer of 2026, Netflix users in France will also have access to over 30,000 hours of on-demand content from TF1. That means scripted dramas, reality shows like The Voice, and live sports programming will all come to the streamer.

The deal seems surprising on the surface, but this partnership makes sense in the larger picture of the streaming giant’s evolution. After years of forcing the cable industry to its knees, Netflix is now welcoming pieces of the industry into its ecosystem.

TF1 and Netflix aren’t new to each other. The two have worked together as co-producers on projects like Les Combattantes — a French historical miniseries known in English as Women at War. This latest deal, however, takes the partnership to a new level.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. But it’s clear both companies are bullish on this partnership, as it’s much more than an experiment.

“Adding TF1’s premium content and live TV channels will provide another way for French viewers to discover Netflix, and an even more compelling reason for them to keep coming back every day to Netflix to watch it,” said Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters. With the company now declining to disclose subscriber numbers, the company is doubling down on engagement as its only public performance metric.

“We see this deal as an important part of continuing to drive engagement in France, which is something we care about,” he added.

On TF1’s side, the agreement brings new revenue opportunities. Specifically, the broadcaster will continue to show ads on its linear TV programming. And with Netflix’s massive user base, that’s a lot more eyeballs than before.

“This deal is the answer to changing viewing habits and the fragmentation of audiences,” TF1 CEO Rodolphe Belmer said in a statement. “It is an unprecedented alliance that will allow us to reach unparalleled audiences with TF1’s quality programs.”

He also cited the ad potential the agreement opens up, especially given the fact that this is part of a media ecosystem that will support TF1’s own 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 reinvest 20 to 25 percent of their local revenue into French content. A deal with the country’s biggest broadcaster helps that mission.

There’s also an opportunity to increase its audience. TF1’s TV channels are currently watched by about 58 million viewers per month, and its streaming service TF1+ has 35 million monthly users, per FT. Netflix, meanwhile, had just over 10 million French subscribers as of 2022, per co-CEO Ted Sarandos.

If the partnership proves successful, it could open the door for similar agreements in other countries. Peters said the company would “absolutely consider that,” and the company would wait to see how well the TF1 rollout goes before looking for more similar agreements.

It’s also indicative of a changing media landscape. This week, Nielsen reported that for the first time since it began tracking in 2021, streaming accounted for 44.8% of all TV consumption in May. That was higher than both cable (24.1%) and broadcast (20.1%) combined.

As streaming becomes the dominant force in TV, linear broadcasters that were once threatened by the emergence of Netflix and its peers could instead be living in them. Rather than fight the trend, TF1 is embracing it.

“Linear TV is in secular decline,” Belmer admitted. “We’ve tried to compensate that with our free-to-view platform. We also want to create a big synergy between the two to take advantage of the Netflix platform and its huge driving force.”

For French viewers, though, the shift will be seamless. “French viewers already see Netflix as ‘TV,’” Peters told FT. “This is another step in that direction, so we’ll get to see what happens there.”