Netflix quietly slides into live TV business via partnership with France’s TF1

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) has made its foray into the world of live TV. The U.S. streaming giant and French TV network group TF1 have struck a deal through which Netflix members in France will be able to watch TF1 channels, according to an official statement.

Through the distribution partnership, TF1’s live channels and on-demand content will be available to Netflix account holders in France as part of their existing subscription, the companies said.

They did not disclose if there would be a separate charge for accessing the TV channels on the platform.

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

Earlier this month, Peters said in an interview with Bloomberg that there is a broader “shakeout” happening in the media industry. “Everything is moving to streaming—everything is moving to on demand. There’s going to be a period of shakeout and transition associated with that,” he said.

The entry into live TV is an indicator of growing confidence in the company’s live streaming capabilities, after successfully streaming WWE, the NFL Christmas games, the Tom Brady roast, and Tyson v. Paul, among other events.

The move is also an early sign that the company could take advantage of the shift from linear TV to streaming and soon offer live TV in other major regions, stealing more market share from traditional broadcasters.

On Tuesday, a Nielsen report showed that TV viewership in the U.S. through streaming overtook broadcast and cable combined for the first time ever.

Time spent streaming accounted for 44.8% of total TV viewing in May. Cable made up 24.1% of total TV viewing, and broadcast’s share was 20.1%, according to Nielsen.