The French OTT service Molotov has signed distribution deals with most public and private broadcasters in France, with the exception of Canal+.
Molotov has signed deals with TF1, public broadcaster France Télévisions, M6, Arte, Nextradio TV (BFM), Lagardere Active, Groupe AB and many others. The only party missing seem to be the channels from the Canal+ group.
Molotov will now start to offer its streaming OTT service to invited beta users on November 4, to be followed by a full roll-out of the service sometime next year. In addition to streaming live TV channels on PCs, tablet and other devices, Molotov users will be able to watch previously aired episodes, share show excerpts with friends on Facebook or Twitter, and record content for later viewing.
The new OTT service will be offered for free to users who only want to view to French free-to-air channels, but a subscription is required when customers want to see any of the encrypted premium channels. According to French press reports, getting distribution with the free-to-air channels was easy, as they have the obligation to seek distribution as wide as possible.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people have already expressed interest in the new service by leaving their email address on the Molotov website.
Molotov was started by Jean David Blanc, founder of AlloCiné, and Pierre Lescure, founder of Canal+, and is promising to disrupt the current TV distribution, “Molotov is a new and innovative service for the distribution of television channels, originating from the desire of its founders to adapt them to modern needs”.
According to the founders, “The essence of Molotov is to lead the distribution of TV channels and programmes in a new direction, better reflecting their quality and diversity, and bring traditional television into the Internet era”.
The full one-up of channels now reads: TF1, France 2, France 3, France 5, M6, Arte, W9, TMC, NT1, LCP AN, France 4, BFM TV, Gulli, France o, HD1, 6Ter, RMC Decouverte, Paris Premiere, Teva, TV Breizh, RTL9, TV5 Monde, AB1, Game One, No Life, L’énorme TV, Action, TCM, Paramount Channel, Girondins TV, AB Moteur, Golf Channel, Nautical Channel, Trace Sport, Ushuaia TV, Animaux, Trek, Chasse & Peche, Histoire, Toute l’histoire, Sciences & Vie TV, Disney Channel, Disney Channel+1, Boomerang, Boing, Mangas, Gong, Gong Max, M6 Music, Mezzo, Mezzo Live HD, Culture Box, Trace Urban, Trace Tropical, Clubbing TV, LCI, BFM Business TV, France 24, Euronews, CNN, LCP 24/24, Public Senat, Campagnes TV, Fashion TV, Luxe TV, Lucky Jack and M6 Boutiques.
