France TV, M6, TF1 unveil joint OTT service

French broadcasters France Télévisions, M6 and TF1 have joined forces to create an OTT platform to take on the likes of Netflix.

Delphine Ernotte-Cunci

Salto will offer news, sports, entertainment, drama, acquired US series, documentaries and movies. The three broadcasters said the platform would “actively promote” the creation of French and European programming.

Various subscription packages will be offered at different price points. The platform will sit alongside each broadcaster’s respective catch-up service, France.tv., 6Play and MyTF1.

Salto will operate as an autonomous company, with each network owning an equal share.

France Télévisions CEO Delphine Ernotte-Cunci, TF1 Group CEO Gilles Pélisson and Nicolas de Tavernost, chairman of the executive board of M6 Group, said in a joint statement that the project embodied “a new digital ambition for the French audiovisual industry.”

The move comes as the three companies face competition from SVoD services such as Netflix in France and marks the latest example of traditional broadcasters deciding to work together in response.

In the UK, public broadcaster the BBC and commercial broadcaster ITV are reportedly considering a £1bn (US$1.3bn) bid to buy out Discovery’s 50% stake in multichannel broadcaster UKTV. The broadcasters believe this will strengthen both their hands against the growing power of streaming services such as Netflix.