Salto is a streaming service launched by the public channel France Télévisions and the commercial channels M6 and TF1.
The service has been in development for a few years. It has been delayed by the French audiovisual regulator and by negotiations with licensees.
Salto will host local language content like Tomorrow Belongs to Us and Ma vie de Courgette, as well as foreign shows and films such as the UK-made Quiz or the American TV drama The Handmaid's Tale.
Apart from on-demand video content, Salto also allows viewers to watch live TV from a selection of 19 channels.
Salto is also trying to lure people in by offering shows days before they air on mainstream TV, including a new adaptation of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.
If France Télévisions, M6 and TF1 each already have their own catch-up applications, these are supported by advertisements. Salto is different because it merges everything together, with content from elsewhere, and contains no ads.
In total, at launch, there are more than 10,000 hours of series, films and documentaries to watch. ScreenDaily reports that number is set to increase to 15,000 in 2021, with the introduction of Salto-exclusive original content.
You can give Salto a shot by signing up for a 30-day free trial. You can cancel this trial at any time with just one click, otherwise it will turn into a paid subscription.
These subscriptions come in three tiers, depending on how many screens you want to watch Salto on simultaneously. One user costs €6.99/month, two users €9.99/month and four users €12.99/month.
You can watch Salto in a web browser or through its apps for smartphone, tablet and smart TV.
Whether the allure of having content from multiple providers in one place, without any ads, is enough to attract subscribers remains to be seen. The company wouldn't disclose what its first-year subscriber goals are.
Salto is not the first localized streaming service to launch in France. CanalPlay opened in 2011, but eventually closed and was replaced by myCanal.
BritBox is a similar concept, but with UK TV rather than French TV. Both aim to bring great local TV shows to the eyes of global audiences.
