French commercial broadcaster TF1 says its new carriage deal with Netflix has already met its audience targets, delivering record streaming figures just three weeks after launching in France last month. Under the arrangement — the first time Netflix has partnered with a free-to-air national broadcaster — Netflix subscribers in France can access live broadcasts and on-demand content from TF1 and its TF1+ platform. The early results matter because the tie-up is being watched as a potential template for other broadcasters and streamers navigating a shifting European media landscape.

TF1 reported a record 8.3 million unique daily streams for the finale of its reality show Koh-Lanta on 25 June, alongside audience gains for Secret Story and the licensed Hulu series Good American Family. Unique daily streams for TF1 shows rose 16 per cent in the collaboration's first week, with CEO Rodolphe Belmer saying targets originally set for an 18-month horizon were hit in under three weeks; the company also described its ad sales as "excellent" but gave no figures. The model of joining forces with a global streamer, rather than competing directly, is being touted as an alternative to European broadcast consolidation, exemplified by Sky's newly announced $2.1 billion acquisition of ITV, while Amazon has struck similar deals with France Télévisions, M6 and Spain's RTVE.