What if we told you that Netflix, the very service that crushed TV, was going to give you TV again? In the latest sign that streaming and linear TV aren’t destined to be rivals, Netflix will begin offering live TV from France’s biggest broadcaster, TF1 Group, on its platform.

Starting next summer, Netflix users in France will be able to stream five of TF1’s channels, including reality TV shows like The Voice, scripted series, sports, and more — all in real time. Netflix also plans to host 30,000 hours of on-demand content from TF1 by 2026, giving French subscribers the chance to stream live and on-demand reality TV shows, scripted series, sports, and much more.

Although the news comes from Netflix, the streaming pioneer that brought the dawn of the streaming era, the partnership doesn’t sound like one from the cable era — at least, not in terms of format. Although the deal marks the first time Netflix has streamed linear content, TF1’s channels aren’t exclusively available on the streaming service. Users will also be able to stream the channels on a traditional TV or over the web, where TF1 also streams the same content.

The deal may seem like a step back to the cable era, but it’s also a progressive move for both companies. For Netflix, it’s a way to keep people engaged daily and decrease churn, especially as more competition floods the streaming market. And for TF1, it’s a chance to open up a new audience and create new revenue from the same set of channels.

The deal isn’t just a one-off for the two companies. Netflix and TF1 have already partnered to produce a historical French series called Les Combattantes (Women at War). Although the new partnership is more extensive, it’s not the first time the two companies have worked together.

For now, neither company is saying how much it’s paying for the partnership, though both executives say the deal isn’t a test. “I don’t think this is an experiment. We’re committed to it,” Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters said in a call with the Financial Times.

“I think we view it as another part of our offering. By working with France’s leading broadcaster, we’ll give French consumers more reasons to come to Netflix every day, and to stay with us for all their entertainment needs,” he continued.

The benefits for TF1 are just as significant. TF1 will continue to run ads during its live linear content, which now has the potential to reach Netflix’s massive user base. That could result in more monetization and ad revenue for the channels.

TF1 Group CEO Rodolphe Belmer described the deal as “unprecedented,” noting that it will allow the content to reach a larger audience in a fragmented media environment. He also noted that the partnership will complement TF1’s own streaming service, TF1+, and tap into Netflix’s massive distribution network.

“Linear TV is in secular decline. We’ve tried to compensate for that… but also by trying to leverage and benefit from the huge driving force of Netflix,” he added.

However, it’s a way for the French media giant to make a play on the changing market, and may help the company meet new French regulation that mandates streaming services in the country reinvest 20–25% of its French revenue in local content.

TF1’s numbers are impressive. The company’s TV channels attract around 58 million viewers per month, while its streaming platform TF1+ pulls in another 35 million viewers per month. Netflix, for comparison, has more than 10 million subscribers in France, according to co-CEO Ted Sarandos in 2022.

With the deal, Netflix and TF1 will get a piece of the French pie. According to the two companies, the partnership is only the beginning.

“The partnership represents just the first step in bringing French content and culture to the world and opening a new world of possibilities for creators and storytellers. In addition to bringing our first five linear channels to our service, we look forward to bringing over 30,000 hours of on-demand content to Netflix members by 2026,” Belmer said in a statement. “Together, we aim to create the next generation of entertainment and opportunity for content creators.”

The deal comes as traditional TV and cable viewership declines worldwide. Just this week, Nielsen found that 44.8% of all TV viewing was streamed in May, outpacing both cable (24.1%) and broadcast (20.1%) for the first time since Nielsen began tracking the data in 2021.

Other linear channels have already looked to the likes of YouTube TV for support. The partnership, however, will give the channels a more direct route into homes of millions of people. It may even be a blueprint for other channels looking to generate more revenue and reach a new audience in a streaming-first world.

“Today, Netflix is already what people think of when they think of TV,” Peters said. “That’s going to only be the case even more with this deal.”