French TV giants end talks to merge streaming services amid Netflix competition

Talks between French channels TF1, M6 and France Televisions, as well as cable provider Orange, to merge their streaming services in an effort to create a French competitor to Netflix have halted. TF1 is the top-rated channel in France, with M6 and France Televisions’ France 2 being its closest competitors. Discussions were said to have begun months ago, but the economic reality of launching a competitor to the international SVOD behemoth proved to be too much, even for France’s top broadcasters. A draft agreement had been reached, but parties could not finalize the deal. It would have seen the SVOD services of TF1, M6, France Televisions merge with the support of Orange. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/french-tv-giants-end-talks-809402 http://advanced-television.com/2015/07/17/french-netflix-rival-dropped/ http://lexpansion.lexpress.fr/high-tech/tf1-m6-orange-et-france-televisions-abandonnent-l-idee-d-un-netflix-francais_1699620.html http://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/medias/021210371791-le-netflix-a-la-francaise-mort-ne-1137624.php