Salto, the long-awaited online video initiative from the French television groups TF1, France Télévisions and M6, will finally launch its combined offer of nationally produced programming and international titles on 20 October. The launch has been delayed by regulatory clearance and was originally due to go live in the first quarter of 2020. It was then scheduled for June, but this was put back as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Salto will offer twenty channels of live programming from the three groups, together with their catch-up services. Popular serials will be available for up to a week before broadcast. There will also be a catalogue of complete collections of programmes and movies. Future series seasons may be available in their entirety before broadcast. The aim is to offer 10,000 hours of programming by April 2021, plus around 5,000 hours from the MYTF1, france.tv and 6play platforms.

Pricing will be based on the number of concurrent connections per account. There will be a Solo package at €6.99 per month, with a Duo offering at €9.99 for up to two simultaneous connections, and “Tribu” offering at $12.99 which allows four concurrent connections. In other words, a single, double, or quadruple Salto.

Salto is not aiming to compete directly with the likes of Netflix, Disney, or Amazon, but to become a “complementary offer” and gain a prominent place in French households.

The service is seeking to differentiate itself through the curation of its catalogue. Rather bizarrely, this will include personalisation based on astrological signs.

Salto was first proposed in mid-2018. Salto, the name of backward somersault, is a reference to start-over or catchup services.

www.salto.fr
www.francetelevisions.fr
groupem6.fr
groupe-tf1.fr