We often talk about Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and others, but not enough about our French “successes”, like Arte.tv, or even France.tv. Because yes, the public service, even if it is old, is making great efforts in terms of video on demand. This is demonstrated by the example of France.tv and the rich content that the platform offers.
To watch programs (legally) is sometimes a hassle. My Netflix subscription only offers one simultaneous screen (it’s the famous old Essential, without advertising, included in the subscription with the Freebox Delta) and on the Prime Video side, when I connect from a new computer, I I still have the famous confirmation code… which does not arrive at my email address (the subscription is not in my name). Especially since subscriptions tend to multiply, if we add Apple TV+ or even Disney+. However, it doesn’t pose that much of a problem to me. Because yes, I have another free alternative, with few advertisements: France.tv. And if this editorial exists, it’s because, in my opinion, she is not well-known enough.
France.tv: instructions for use
France.tv is the successor to Pluzz: at its origins, it was the replay platform of France Télévisions, renamed in May 2017. After a multiplication of services and sites of the group’s channels, the latter has everything merged into a single platform. In 2023, the SVoD service claims more than 25 million users each month. In addition to video on demand content, this is where you can watch all of the group’s channels live: France 2, France 3, France 4, France 5, France Info and even France TV Séries.
On which media can you watch France Télévisions programs?
The streaming service is available on all platforms: Android, iOS, Android TV, Apple TV, LG Smart TV, Samsung TV, FireTV or even Apple TV. On the group’s website, we can read that the service “ is also available on all operator interfaces and services (Orange, Free, SFR, Bouygues Télécom, Canal, Vidéofutur) and in the Molotov application. »
On televisions, it is not necessary to create an account. However, if you use a web browser or mobile application, you must create one and log in to it. Registration is free and does not require you to enter bank card codes.
France.tv: a particular economic model
The economic model of France.tv is closely linked to that of France Télévisions. First of all, there is advertising: some can be broadcast before the programs launched on the application or on the site. France Télévisions is 100% owned by the French state. Its mission is not to generate income, but to “ design and program television shows […]. It also publishes and distributes several audiovisual communication services, including on-demand audiovisual media services. […] It takes into account the development of digital technologies to ensure access to its programs for all audiences.» This mission is even enshrined in law.
Symbolically therefore, the interest of France Télévisions is not to generate profits. This is why it does not offer a paid subscription, and the advertisements broadcast are restricted (including on so-called linear channels, which broadcast live). In addition to advertising, France Télévisions is financed by audiovisual royalties: this is by far the group’s main source of income. This is a tax on taxpayers who are listeners or viewers. A little over a year ago, it was abolished in favor of allocating a fraction of VAT to finance public broadcasting. If France.tv is free, it is also because you, as a taxpayer, finance it.
A deletion strongly criticized by certain media experts, notably Julia Cagé, believing that this reinforces the pressures of political power on the public audiovisual media.
Why it’s the best streaming platform (or at least one of the best)
There is a lot of content on France.tv. As mentioned previously, we find all the broadcasts in replay from the public group’s channels: France 2, France 3, France 4, France 5, France Info: all the national channels, but also France TV Slash, the digital branch of the group. The platform claims 500 new programs daily and they are available for rebroadcast 15 minutes after their broadcast. Most of the time, they are available for at least a year after their broadcast (this is the case for television news, for example), but their availability period can be longer.
On the platform, there are advertisements. We can consider this a shame, but at a time when Netflix is setting up an Essential subscription with advertisements, Disney+ also more recently, Prime Video announced it across the Atlantic and Apple TV+ could get started, ultimately this is not the case. is not an exception. Besides, allow for 30 to 45 seconds of announcement before a program and then… that’s it. Even for a long film, you won’t be cut off in the middle of an action scene. Where on other services this is not the case.
A list system exists, to add programs to a list, to easily find them if you want to see them later. It’s classic, but it’s there. Among the new features that have arrived recently is Full HD: until recently, programs were in 720p only. No 4K at the moment, it’s unfortunate, but it seems logical that it will happen in the future. For foreign programs, there are of course subtitles (French and original), as well as most of the time dubbing in French. There’s even a feature to download videos for watching without an Internet connection.
What France.tv is missing
However, it is impossible to create profiles ” children» so that our toddlers only have access to content intended for them. It also lacks profile management more generally. It would be convenient to share the same account on a television, but with profiles (i.e. lists, different suggestions).
France.tv programs that I recommend
Since there is a lot of content on the application, here is a selection of some programs, from the platform’s essentials to lesser-known gems.
Series to watch
Very popular series on France.tv, there are several, notably Skam France or Stalk , which tells the story of a computer-gifted teenager who plunges into dark affairs. If season 1 is very “ teenage girl», the third season is to be seen (a third season is planned). I also think of Parliament, which already has three seasons and which shows the journey of Samy, a new European parliamentary assistant. Little by little, he climbs into politics and becomes an expert in the functioning of a European institution so complex that it becomes laughable. For Simon Asiter fans, Hero Corpis for you. But if you are a fan of roller derby, the series Derby Girlshould please you. The platform is also quite avant-garde on issues of transidentity, particularly with the series Tender Flesh .
In the recently released series, we can cite Sambre , a fiction about a legal case, freely inspired by real events. Apart from fiction, France.tv is also where to see the two seasons of Drag Race France the French edition of RuPaul’s Drag Racewhich can be found on Netflix.
Films to see
It’s less known, but France.tv doesn’t just bring together the documentaries of its shows or its family or detective series. There is also cinema, although the selection is much narrower than that of Netflix or Prime Video.
We still find there Man on the Moon with Jim Carrey, the moving animated film Your Name or High heelsby Almodóvar. Recently, a collection of some Wim Wenders films joined the catalog, notably with Paris, Texas. And for fans of Japanese anime, know that the three feature films of The attack of the Titans are online.
Documentaries to watch
There are many documentaries on France.tv. First of all, there are the iconic programs of public service channels, such as Cash Investigationor Further investigation, which have a particular resonance on the platform with strong audiences. We can also talk about the excellent documentaries of The lie factory a France 5 program which addresses the issue of fake news.
Moreover, it happens that the broadcasts of Cash Investigationbe broadcast in preview on France.tv seven days in advance. Apart from that, I advise you Invisible, the click workers, a documentary about those who work for GAMAM and who we don’t see enough. As for rap fans, I recommend the very goodPaname, The Grand Paris of Rapreality by Jean Morel and Simon Maisonobe.
And for those who prefer the thrill, with unsolved cases like we find in spades on Netflix, there isThe conspiracy of silenceon the missing women of Yonne (and in particular on the Michel Fourniret affair), but alsoEloi, investigation of a missing person, about the disappearance of an 18-year-old young man in New Zealand. Finally, a documentary series which questions different family patterns,Ocean, family.
If you also love what the public service offers, Arte also offers its own SVoD platform: Arte.tv, with, again, a lot of content accessible for free.