Netflix is strengthening its mass media status in France, joining forces with leading TV channel TF1 and Newen Studios to co-finance its first-ever French daily drama series, ‘Tout pour la lumière’.
Newen Studios is already considered a leading producer of daily French drama series, including ‘Tomorrow is Ours’, ‘Where it all starts’ and ‘Life so sweet, even sweeter’. TF1 Group is now the country’s most important commercial channel in terms of viewing figures.
“Tout pour la lumière” is a family saga set in the world of music and dance. Filming will begin in the first half of 2025 and will take place in the south of France, in the picturesque town of La Ciotat and on the studio lot of La Belle de Mai in Marseille.
The series is written by Coline Assous, Yentl Coubes and Maxime Cormier. The film is produced by Céline François and overseen by Stéphanie Brémond, deputy general manager of ongoing drama and feature-length series at Newen Studios.
Under the partnership, Netflix will launch “Tout pour la lumiere” five days before its free broadcast on TF1 and on its AVOD platform, TF1+.
Pauline Dauvin, VP of content at Netflix France, says the daily series “will enable French Netflix
subscribers can tune in to a daily drama, a first in France.”
“This unique production and distribution partnership illustrates our shared commitment to innovating for viewers’ enjoyment and supporting artistic creation,” said Dauvin.
Pierre Branco, former director of Warner Bros. Discovery and recently joined Newen Studios as CEO, says: “The launch of such an ambitious new daily series is an exciting project” for the company.”
“We are excited to bring our expertise in ongoing drama to this unique partnership with TF1 and Netflix, with the aim of reaching and retaining new audiences.”
Ara Aprikian, executive VP of content at TF1 Group, said the “partnership with Netflix and Newen Studios will provide a new ambitious local origin and once again demonstrate our ability to find new ways to finance and distribute our projects to to give them the widest possible audience. .”
The director, who previously worked with TF1 president Rodolphe Belmer at Canal+ Group, says this “daily drama event series” will allow TF1 to “enrich its content offering in linear and non-linear formats and further its role as a historic partner in reconfirm content creation. .”
Netflix’s move into daily soaps is part of the streamer’s strategy to position itself as a mass media channel in key territories, particularly through live content and factual entertainment. Earlier this year, the service embarked on its first soap opera in Spain, ‘Valle Salvaje’, which is produced by Bambú Producciones and launched in all Spanish-speaking territories.