By Stuart Thomson

French Netflix rival Salto is on the verge of striking its first ISP distribution deal with Bouygues Telecom, according to financial daily Les Echos.

The paper cited an unnamed source who said that securing carriage with ISPs, via whose boxes the majority of French consumers watch TV, was vital for Salto, which would struggle to survive otherwise.

Salto’s presence on Bouygues Telecom makes sense as the first ISP deal not least because the operator and Salto co-owner TF1 share a common owner in the Bouygues group.

Les Echos and local trade paper Satellifax have also pointed out that Salto can be accessed through the Freebox Pop offering of rival ISP Free.

According to Les Echos, Salto can be accessed as an app via the Android-based device, obviating the need for a contract with the operator itself. The streaming offering has yet to officially sign a deal with any of the main French service providers, which include Orange, SFR and Free. Pay TV operator Canal+ provides its own rival SVOD offering.

Salto co-owners TF1 and M6 have a recent history of difficult relations with the country’s ISPs, having both engaged in long-running disputes over carriage terms that ultimately resulted in the service providers giving ground and agreeing to recompense the broadcasters for carriage of their channels along with enhanced interactive services.

Salto has attracted around 100,000 subscribers in its first three weeks, according to a separate report by Le Figaro. https://www.digitaltveurope.com