Netflix Adds Live TV—Is Streaming Turning Into Cable?

So it’s a little strange that Netflix will start showing live TV channels next summer—not in the U.S. (yet), but in France. The move comes from a new deal with TF1, France’s biggest television broadcaster. As part of the agreement, Netflix will stream five of TF1’s traditional live channels and over 30,000 hours of on-demand programming inside the regular Netflix app.

This isn’t background filler. TF1’s content includes high-profile reality shows like The Voice, French dramas like Broceliande and Erica, and daily soaps such as Demain nous appartient. Viewers in France can flip through live shows or catch up on-demand without leaving the app or paying extra.

TF1 currently holds about 24% of France’s linear TV market—more than any broadcaster in the U.S. Its streaming platform, TF1+, draws 35 million monthly users. Their traditional channels still reach 58 million people. Netflix, in comparison, has about 10 million French subscribers. The deal blends two massive audiences into one viewing experience and reshapes Netflix into more than just a binge machine.

There’s also a practical angle. French law requires streaming services to reinvest 20 to 25 percent of their revenue into French content. By hosting TF1’s channels, Netflix satisfies that rule, making its app a one-stop shop for passive and on-demand viewing.

This version of Netflix won’t just offer curated lists or trending shows. It’ll offer something a lot more familiar: actual channels. With schedules. And yes, with ads.

However, it’s a surprising turn for a platform that once symbolized the end of traditional TV. Streaming came along and made viewers believe there was no going back. Binge culture replaced prime-time slots, and autoplay took over channel flipping. Suddenly, the company that helped bury cable is rolling out something that looks a lot like cable.

With so many apps, services, subscriptions, and exclusives floating around, streaming has started to feel like homework. There’s always something new to keep up with, something moving to a different platform, or something that costs extra.

Sometimes the most challenging part of watching TV is picking something. And that’s where this new move starts to make sense.

Turning on a live channel and seeing what’s on isn’t bad for viewers who don't want to scroll endlessly every night. There’s comfort in letting something play in the background, in not having to decide, in giving up control and just watching.

Right now, this Netflix-and-live-TV combo is only happening in France. But it’s hard not to wonder what would happen if it appeared elsewhere.

Could Netflix do a deal with someone like CBS or NBC? Could American viewers get soap operas, football games, or reality shows alongside Netflix originals? Not as a separate app, but built into the one they use daily?

That version of Netflix sounds pretty different from the one that changed TV a decade ago—but maybe that’s the point.

If the French experiment works, it could be the start of something bigger. Not because people are begging for a return to cable, but because streaming has gotten complicated. A little structure might feel refreshing.

This isn’t a full return to the old days. There are no tangled cords, cable guy appointments, or 800 numbers to cancel. It’s cable, but cleaner and quieter. Maybe that’s what viewers want now: less choice, fewer steps, something already playing when the app opens.

So Netflix hasn’t exactly given up on streaming. But it might be admitting something cable knew all along—sometimes the best thing to watch is whatever’s already on.

Whether this idea spreads or stays in France depends on what happens next. But if streaming starts to look like cable again, it will remind us to skip the part where people had to pay for 300 channels just to watch one.