On the program: recent films, author series, documentaries, classics and even cartoons, without advertising or subscription to a private platform.
Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Canal+: paid streaming platforms are now part of everyday life. Catalogs change, prices increase and subscriptions multiply. However, there is a legal alternative that many are unaware of. Access available everywhere in France, where you can watch hundreds of films and series without paying a cent.
The principle is based on cultural video-on-demand sites, designed for the general public, but financed collectively. These platforms host recent films, award-winning documentaries, author series, short films, youth animation and more confidential films, often from festivals or heritage. Viewing is done by streaming or downloading, from a computer, tablet or smartphone and sometimes even on television via Chromecast or Apple TV. Each user has a monthly viewing quota, which varies depending on the service, but without pay-per-view or advertising.
The best known of these sites is called Médiathèque Numérique. Co-published by Arte and UniversCiné, it brings together more than 9,000 programs available on demand. There are films like La Nuit du 12, Parasite or Les Invisibles, documentaries by Frederick Wiseman or Agnès Varda, but also European series and award-winning short films. Another iconic platform: Eyes doc. We discover demanding works, sometimes committed, rarely visible on commercial services. Tënk is part of the same family, dedicated to independent documentaries. For the youngest, My little media library, developed by Arte, offers films, series and educational games suitable for 3-12 year olds. Finally, certain establishments provide access to ARTE Médiathèque, a digital extension of the catalog of the Franco-German channel, with films, series and cultural magazines.
This is neither a separate subscription, nor a service hidden behind a paywall, but access offered to all those who have… a municipal library card. It is she who unlocks these online catalogs. Many French libraries and media libraries have entered into partnerships with these platforms and allow their subscribers to benefit from them for free, from home.
These platforms are present almost everywhere: in Boulogne-Billancourt, Le Havre, Reims, Dijon, Rennes, Strasbourg, Ivry-sur-Seine, Bordeaux, Lyon, Paris and in several departments such as Manche, Loire, Aude or Vendée. The content differs depending on the locality. You can meet established directors and young authors, European, African or Asian productions, social, animated and experimental cinema. In short, a cultural panorama that commercial platforms do not always highlight. Registration is done online, via your city’s website, using your reader account identifiers. In 2025, more than 300 cities and departments in France already offer this service.
