SERIES MANIA: French broadcaster TF1 Group will begin rolling out its free streaming service TF1+ in its first international territories this June as it targets French-speaking markets around the world, including those in Africa.

TF1+ will be made available in Belgium and Luxembourg in June, followed by a launch in Switzerland later this year.

The company will then expand the ad-supported streamer to French-speaking African countries, beginning with North Africa and later those in West Africa and elsewhere on the continent. It could also add more countries, including Canada, by the end of 2025.

TF1 Group CEO Rodolphe Belmer confirmed the plans during a keynote session at Series Mania Forum in Lille this morning as the French broadcast group, which owns the country’s most popular free-to-air network in TF1, ramps up its digital strategy.

“The internet doesn’t have borders and it’s allowed international players like Netflix and Disney+ to develop. There’s no reason why we can’t do the same,” said Belmer.

It is unclear what TF1 programming will be carried by the international version of the streaming service, which in France offers series such as HPI, Plus Belle La Vie, The Voice, Panda and Star Academy.

According to Bloomberg, TF1 Group will mine its catalogue of programming to fuel the international version of TF1+ rather than create originals specifically for the platform.
TF1+ launched in France in at the beginning of 2024 after the broadcaster, along with France Télévisions and Groupe M6, pulled the plug on their joint-venture streaming service Salto, less than two-and-a-half years after it launched.

tagged in: Rodolphe Belmer, TF1, TF1 Group