TF1 GROUP RAMPS UP ITS AGGREGATION STRATEGY TF1+, FRANCE’S LEADING FREE-TO-AIR AGGREGATOR, WELCOMES ARTE AND A&E TELEVISION NETWORK ON BOARD

In October, TF1 group will welcome two new heavyweight players onto its TF1+ platform: ARTE, renowned across European for the production and broadcasting of arts programmes; and A&E Television Network (AETN), a US broadcaster well known for its documentaries. 

These two new partnerships consolidate the status of TF1+ as France’s leading premium free-to-air streaming platform, with more than 25,000 hours of content now available 24/7. Having already added content from L’Equipe, Le Figaro and Deezer, TF1+ is further enhancing its mix of broadcast material by offering the ARTE channel and platform. For TF1+ this new alliance boosts the catalogue by bringing in attractive third-party content in high value added segments offering a good fit with the platform’s existing programmes. For ARTE, it offers an opportunity to tap into the audience pulling power of TF1+, with its huge reach into French households. 

The alliance will give TF1+ users access to the entire Arte.TV offer, with thousands of programmes available to stream free of charge, including documentaries, series, films, magazine shows and concerts. ARTE content will be accessible from the TF1+ home page (both via programme links on the home page, and via a partner portal), in line with ARTE’s editorial stance. The AETN tie-up ramps up the TF1+ content offer in the hugely popular documentary space. The alliance brings more than 700 hours of documentary programmes across a whole range of genres: from extreme to true crime, history to the paranormal, and property to science. These include iconic AETN brands like “Ice Road Truckers” and “Ghost Hunters”, and reality TV series like “Duck Dynasty” and “Billy the Exterminator”. 

Rodolphe Belmer, group Chairman & CEO, says: “We are particularly proud of these partnerships, which consolidate our aggregation strategy. They will enable a mass audience to watch (or rewatch) extremely wellmade, award-winning programmes covering a wide variety of special-interest topics. This is further confirmation of the status of TF1+ as France’s go-to free-to-air streaming platform, with a constantly refreshed and varied range of premium content. And ARTE and AETN will benefit from massive exposure for their content with our 33 million monthly streamer base. These partnerships between a mass media broadcaster and a globally renowned documentary maker mark a step change for TF1+, and illustrate our big ambitions for the platform”. 

In the first half of 2024, TF1 has already pulled in 4 million streamers daily, and 33 million monthly (peaking at 35.4 million in May). It’s also the most popular platform among younger viewers, attracting more than 1.3 million 15-34 year-olds every day.