"Our catalog grew a bit during the holidays," TF1 boasted in its January newsletter. Announced before the Christmas holidays, the transformation of the platform, renamed TF1+, took place on Monday 8 January. His ambition? To establish itself as a real streaming offer, and no longer as the simple possibility of catching up on replay of the programs broadcast on the channel. The free plan comes with a considerable number of ads (except for snippets of less than 15 minutes, the front page promised). To skip them, you will have to subscribe: 5.99 euros per month (compared to 3.99 euros in the old formula). We've tested it.
Ultra-easy to use
Basically, nothing really revolutionary compared to the old interface. It is still possible, via the tabs, to access films, series, entertainment, etc., or to follow the live of the group's channels (TMC, TFX, LCI, etc.). Access to the daily life, bonuses and indiscretions of the "Star Academy" is facilitated.
Trailers for some of the most popular programs are on the home page (at the moment, "Plus belle la vie", "The Visitors", "Criminal Minds"...). Just below, the top 10 is highlighted, giving TF1+ a little air of Netflix.
This is followed by an overview of the fiction and films available, then reclassified by theme. From the "Burger quiz" (only 7 episodes) to the "Palmashow" and the complete Unknowns, the platform focuses on a selection of programs to watch with the family or stamped "anti-depression" and highlights "inspiring heroines", including Muriel Robin in the recent "Master Crimes" or Mimie Mathy in the tireless "Joséphine, ange gardien" (122 episodes).
An extensive catalogue
At the top of the list in the cinema department, the fantasy trilogy "The Hobbit" should delight Tolkien fans. Fans will also discover "Lucy", a thriller by Luc Besson starring Scarlett Johansson, regularly broadcast on the channel since its release in 2014. Or the romantic comedy "Ma vie en l'air", starring Marion Cotillard, Vincent Elbaz and Gilles Lellouche. To reach the 200 feature films, 200 TV movies and 200 series in their entirety claimed by TF1+, many rights have been (re)negotiated. The aim is to ensure their visibility for at least thirty days and up to two years.
On the series side, there are the channel's blockbusters, "HPI" and "Sam" in the lead, but also creations from the front page that have disappeared from the radar. The platform is no longer content to offer a simple replay: "Syndrome E", "The Hikers", "The Disappeared of the Black Forest" but also the sagas "Dolmen" or "The Blue of the Ocean" are back.
New platform, new series! 😎
A very muscular program on TF1+ 💪
— TF1+ (@tf1plus) January 9, 2024
More unexpectedly, users will be able to watch "Lebowitz vs. Lebowitz", dramatic comedy carried by Clémentine Célarié, or the medical series "Nina", initially broadcast on France 2. On the stream side, fans are still waiting for the archives of "The Voice" (only the 2022 and 2023 shows are online) and "Koh-Lanta". The channel is reassuring: "It's going to come gradually."
Audrey Fleurot in majesty
He is "the" star of TF1, capable of propelling the channel into the upper echelons to soar far above the competition. Despite a drop compared to its launch in 2021 (Morgane Alvaro had gathered 11.5 million viewers on average, including the replay), season 3 of "HPI" still attracted 7.44 million fans last year.
With such a sympathy capital, it is rather logical that the platform would go all out on Audrey Fleurot, dedicating a collection to her (in the same way as Bruce Willis – only 4 films available – or Laëtitia Millot), in which are classified "The Grand Bazaar of Charity", "The Fighters", "Lies" and – more surprisingly – the 72 episodes of "A French Village", emblematic fiction of France 3!
Only one international exclusivity
If we set aside the TF1 programs, the new platform welcomes only one new program exclusively. This is the American series "Poker Face", in which Natasha Lyonne ("Orange Is the New Black", "Russian Doll") plays a heroine who can detect lies like no one else, handy for solving previously unsolvable crimes. The first three episodes are already online, the others will follow at the rate of one per week, every Friday.
TF1+, on the other hand, is betting on a new news event, shorter, adapted to on-demand uses. "Top info" offers five daily formats of three to six minutes produced by the editorial team and providing insight into the main news of the day.
Nothing to download
This is undoubtedly one of the negative points of the smartphone app. Unlike its competitors France.tv and 6play Max, which, in the paid plan (4.99 euros per month), offer subscribers to download the content they want to watch offline. Quite practical in transport and in the French countryside which is still poorly covered by the mobile network.