A new streaming service has launched. It's called Salto and is a joint venture from three established French television networks.

What Is Salto?

Salto is a streaming service launched by state broadcaster France Télévisions and commercial channels M6 and TF1.

The service has been in the making for some years. It was held up by France's broadcasting regulator and by negotiations with license holders.

Salto will play host to local language content like Demain Nous Appartient and Ma vie de Courgette, along with shows and movies from abroad such as the UK-created Quiz or the American TV drama The Handmaid's Tale.

Alongside video-on-demand content, Salto also lets viewers watch live TV from a selection of 19 channels.

Salto is also trying to draw people in by offering some shows a few days earlier than they broadcast on traditional TV, including a new adaption of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.

While France Télévisions, M6, and TF1 each have its own catch-up apps already, these are supported by ads. Salto is different because it merges everything together, along with content from elsewhere, and doesn't have any ads.

In total, at launch, there are over 10,000 hours of series, films, and documentaries to watch. ScreenDaily reports that that number is set to rise to 15,000 in 2021, along with the introduction of original content exclusive to Salto.

How Much Does Salto Cost?

You can give Salto a chance by signing up for a free 30-day trial. You can cancel that trial at any time with one click, otherwise it will roll into a paid subscription.

Those subscriptions come in three tiers, depending on how many screens you wish to watch Salto on simultaneously. One user costs €6.99/month, two users is €9.99/month, and four users is €12.99/month.

You can watch Salto in a web browser or via its smartphone, tablet, and smart TV apps.

Whether the draw of having content from multiple providers in one place, along with no adverts, is enough to bring in subscribers remains to be seen. The company would not divulge what its subscriber goals for the first year are.

Salto Is Similar to BritBox

Salto isn't the first localized streaming service to launch in France. CanalPlay opened in 2011, though it eventually closed and was superseded by myCanal.

BritBox is a similar concept, but with British TV rather than French TV. Both aim to get the great local television shows into the eyes of the global public.