Salto: last cabriole and closure for the French streaming service?

Article updated on 01/17/2023

On October 20, 2020, TF1, M6 and France Télévisions gave birth to Salto, a streaming service that brings together the programs of the 3 channels, but also others from the rest of the world. The goal? Compete with Netflix and others in the video-on-demand market by offering the emblematic brands of each. This tricolor alternative therefore targeted housewives under 50 and fans of Michel Drucker.

Those who marketed the company have surely been unemployed since, at the beginning of 2022, Salto had no not even a million subscribers. By way of comparison, Netflix had 10 times more in July 2022. It’s even almost a miracle to have been able to unite so many consumers around such a wobbly project, but it’s also because the platform counts. people who take advantage of a trial offer. It must be said that the contents are far from being interesting. Films, series and documentaries smell good the second part of the evening on a TNT channel. And for €69.90/year or €7.99/month, you can find much better: Netflix and Disney+ are €8.99/month while Amazon Prime Video is only €6.99 with 30 days free (90 free days for students).

Rumors of an imminent closure had therefore been rife for a while and could even become reality in the days to come.

Rather than criticizing Salto for free like the majority of people, I went to see their catalog and frankly I’m impressed by their offer, it’s unbelievable that he tried to sell TV replays at 8€ per month by saying to himself that it would work https://t.co/2wIzbWHdy4

— Ecri’ (@EcrisioFX) November 16, 2022

Salto: the harder the fall will be?

In November 2022 already the media The letter a had already spoken of talks between TF1, France Télévision and M6 for put Salto up for sale. The last mentioned has already recorded its withdrawal from the capital of the company and TF1 should follow. France Television was for the moment the only entity not to have spoken on the subject. Gold according to PureMedias/OzapPresident Delphine Ernotte put Salto’s cessation of activity on the agenda at the next committee meeting on Friday 20 January.

It smells of fir.

The outright shutdown of Salto is possible, but to pay off the debts the trio would prefer to sell the technical part of the platform to another player with a license to use the content. While we were talking about Canal + as a potential buyer, the encrypted channel – already very busy with the acquisition of OCS – will pass its turn. The Spanish society Agile would be a candidate to take over Salto, but we are also talking about Amazon (they buy all those, so why not…). The dissolution of Salto and therefore the discontinuation of the service should be announced at the end of the week. What will happen to the 800,000 subscribers? How are they going to get their dose of Josephine Guardian Angel, Captain Marleau or reruns of Fort Boyard ?