Molotov launches France’s first free VOD ad-supported service

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Molotov announces today the launch of Mango, an ad-supported free offer of movies, documentaries, TV shows and content for kids.

In a context of a tremendous boom in OTT usage in France, and a landscape already cluttered by numerous paid offers (SVoD), the french streaming platform launches a free alternative for its 13M users. Molotov is opening its platform to content providers wishing to monetize their content through advertising, therefore offering that content for free to the public.

More than 1,000 programs are available at launch, mainly films (action, comedy, romance, fantasy, drama, youth films), historical or scientific documentaries, and cartoons, renewed weekly. Eventually, thousands of films and programs will be available on demand for free, aggregated on the platform under the brand Mango.

About ten agreements have already been signed with content providers such as Kabillion, Zylo, ACI, FIP, ZED, Ampersand, Sonar, ITV, Mediawan, Trade Media & Dynamic, Crome Films, and discussions are underway with Sony Pictures, Endemol, Lionsgate, Wild Bunch...

Molotov has been working actively on Mango for almost a year, creating in house:

• a dedicated sales team structured around two divisions:
  • Media agencies and advertisers, headed by Béatrice Leroux-Barraux, former Sales Director at TF1 Publicité and Managing Director at NRJ Group's sales house.
  • Entertainment advertisers (cinema, streaming platforms, live shows), headed by Sophie Alliel, former CEO of Talent Group.
• ad-serving, data and technological solutions: Molotov has developed its own smart ad-serving solution, combined with Freewheel and Ad Insertion Platform services to offer a high-performance and optimal advertising experience.
• an Acquisition & Publishing team in relation with publishers and content providers

Ad-supported video-on-demand (AVod) is the spearhead of new platforms in the U.S., where the watch-time spent by users is now greater than on SVoD* platforms. According to Digital TV Research, the AVod market generated revenues of $27 billion in 2019 and could reach $56 billion in 2024 worldwide.

Molotov, which is now considered as a marketplace, adds advertising revenues to its subscription revenue model and offers the opportunity to content providers to diversify their revenue streams. Molotov is offering a real revolution to the French audience as well as to publishers and content providers, providing them with new opportunities to distribute and monetize their content to its 13 million users.

The platform will also host AVoD contents from other publishers, as it already does with the distribution of France’s major historical TV channels.

For JeanDavid Blanc (CEO and founder of Molotov) : "It was logical for Molotov to introduce in France the AVoD model. Mango embodies Molotov's philosophy and mission: offering programs accessible to all, both free and paid with the best user experience, while providing publishers and content providers with a complementary and solid revenue model".

Molotov today:

• More than 170 channels and content providers distributed on the platform
• A free offer giving access to 34 channels, including all DTT (27 channels), as well as Mango’s VOD
• Paid options including Molotov Plus, Molotov Extended, OCS, Ciné+, AdultSwim, Spicee, the African and Maghreb thematic packages, the NFL Game Pass, the Gamer Zone pack, Schoolmouv...
• User-friendly ergonomics, unique features such as cloud storage for recording, and a multi-award-winning application
• Nearly 13 million users as of Nov 2020.

Molotov's offers

*Source Nielson