France's Molotov, a cloud-based video streaming company, is taking its home country...and the OTT market...by storm.
Founder and CEO Jean-David Blanc told Cheddar that, in the 9 months since launch, the company has signed up 1 million subscribers. He says its audience has tripled in the last six months, and with minimal advertising efforts.
Molotov's over-the-top service comes at a time when video-on-demand in France is gaining steam. The sector has seen rapid growth in the face of a steady decline in traditional television-watching.
According to research firm eMarketer, nearly 40 percent of all time the French spend watching TV digitally in France was done on a mobile phone or tablet. That compares to 31.6 percent who use a connected TV.
Blanc noted on Tuesday that on average nights, his platform captures 5 percent of television viewership in the country.
As of now, the platform features all broadcast channels, as well as premiums like HBO. Molotov also provides a curation service, where users can categorize the content they would like to watch as they would for a themed playlist. In addition, Molotov offers a complimentary 10-hour DVR feature, with an option to pay extra for more time.
“We want to grow this company all around Europe as fast as possible,” Blanc told Cheddar.
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