A Paris court has ordered streaming service Molotov to pay €8.5 million to TF1 Group in compensation and to cease the retransmission of its channels.
The court ruled that Molotov had breached the copyright of the commercial broadcaster and was also guilty of copyright infringement for the reproduction of the group’s logos. Molotov was ordered to stop broadcasting the TF1 channels within 15 days, under penalty of a €75,000 per day fine if it failed to do so.
French media reported the TF1-branded channels were inaccessible as of Monday.
Molotov had told the news agency AFP that it had not received an offer from TF1 to retransmit its channels, despite numerous reminders. It said it hoped to find a solution to the dispute that would “jeopardise free access to essential channels for millions of users”.
In December, Molotov signed an agreement with the M6 Group to distribute the M6, W9, 6Ter and Gulli channels, as well as the catch-up and bonus content, just days after a similar case had reached its conclusion at a cost to the streamer of €7 million.
TF1 has been pursuing Molotov since July 2019 when a four-year temporary agreement expired. Molotov continues to pursue a case against TF1 with the French competition authority.
Launched in 2016, Molotov claims more than 17 million registered users, with the daily Les Echos estimating its active subscribers at 4 million.
Offering both free and paid packages, the platform was acquired in November for €164.3 million by US streaming service FuboTV.
