In the "top of mind" of the French it is Netflix that dominates the market of streaming platforms. However, since the beginning of 2020 they are a dozen trying to conquer the hearts of the French. Apple TV+, Prime Video, OCS, Canal+, TV Movies, Tënk, recently Disney+ and many others. It is now the turn of Salto, a new French competitor that is preparing its arrival on the market.
Project details
This platform called Salto began to be talked about two years ago. This is a joint project between TF1, France Télévisions and M6. This video platform was designed to counter those with a monopoly and in particular the giant Netflix which recovers many viewers from television.To be able to launch this platform, its creators had to obtain a green light from the Autorité de la concurrence , which is well regulated. Thus, TF1, France Télévision and M6 have submitted to a series of commitments aimed in particular at coordinating in the acquisition of rights to the programmes distributed, and especially the French. Also, they signed to "limit the possibilities of cross-promotion between their channels and the Salto platform" and for many other mentions such as advertising, supply conditions, etc. But concretely, what will the platform offer? What will make its strength and to counter its competitors, he hopes, is that Salto will bet on exclusive content. The participating channels will then have a great impact. You will be able to find live channel streams, catch-up programs as well as video-on-demand services. Will this content be enough or will there be series and movies to discover for the launch? We think for example of Disney + which unveiled its flagship series The Mandalorian for its start, which has stirred up viewers.
It's only part postponed…
When Salto was first announced, there was talk of a planned release in the first quarter of 2020. This shifted over time to finally agree on a public beta release on June 3 and a general public launch in September 2020. Today, we are still impatient because recent events have decided otherwise. The global Coronavirus pandemic forced Salto to postpone its launch. While technically everything was ready for the platform, it is a content problem that arises: no order delivered on time, no distribution possible. Indeed, the cessation of filming and the upheaval of television programs has impacted the amount of original content available on Salto. The lockdown could have been an opportunity to launch in view of the over-consumption of films in most French homes. Still, the private beta will be for June and the opening to the general public scheduled for early fall. The outbreak will not only affect Salto's launch date, but it will affect the number of programs that will be available once it is released. Thus, will subscribers be able to discover surprises as a guarantee of profitability? It seems that, according to Les Echos, the director general of the platform Thomas Follin has mentioned the decrease in the cost of the subscription. Initially between 5 and 10 euros (7 € according to BFMTV) it could be lower to remedy the poverty of the catalog.
