Dailymotion

Dailymotion is a French online video-sharing and streaming platform founded in Paris in March 2005 by Benjamin Bejbaum and Olivier Poitrey. It began as a user-uploaded video service and developed into an international destination for professionally produced and user-submitted news, sports, music, entertainment, and other audiovisual programming. The founders reportedly started the company with €6,000 contributed by six individuals, after which Dailymotion obtained outside financing from Atlas Ventures and Partech International in 2006. The company became an early competitor in the rapidly expanding online-video market. A notable technical milestone came in February 2008, when Dailymotion introduced support for 720p high-definition video, placing it among the earlier major video platforms to offer HD playback. In 2007 it also helped establish ASIC, an industry association involving other online-video companies. Dailymotion expanded internationally through offices in New York, London, San Francisco, Singapore, and Abidjan, while adapting its service through localized home pages and regional programming. The platform is described as being available worldwide in 183 languages and 43 localized versions. Dailymotion's ownership developed through a series of strategic transactions. France's Strategic Investment Fund invested in the company in 2009. Orange acquired 49 percent in January 2011 for €62 million and purchased the remaining 51 percent in January 2013 for €61 million. A proposed majority investment by Yahoo was blocked by the French government in May 2013, reflecting the political importance attached to retaining national control over a prominent internet property. Orange subsequently explored arrangements with Microsoft and other potential international partners. In 2015, Vivendi acquired an 80 percent interest from Orange and later increased its holding to 90 percent. Following Vivendi's separation of Canal+ as an independent listed group, Dailymotion became part of Canal+'s portfolio in the 2020s; the referenced Wikipedia material identifies Canal+ as its owner from 2024. The platform has repeatedly faced the legal and operational challenges common to large user-uploaded-content services. French courts held in 2007 that Dailymotion qualified as a hosting provider rather than a conventional publisher, but could still incur liability when it knew or should have known that infringing material was available and failed to respond adequately. In 2014, the Paris Court of Appeal ordered Dailymotion to pay €1.3 million in a copyright dispute involving TF1 and LCI. The company has described a mixture of automated detection and human review for rights protection and content moderation. It has also experienced access restrictions in several countries, including Kazakhstan, India, and Russia, with the reasons involving copyright enforcement or governmental security concerns. Dailymotion's commercial model combines audience distribution, advertising, content partnerships, and video technology. It has worked with international media organizations and distribution partners, including Vice Media, Bloomberg, and Hearst Digital Media in North America. In 2020, it partnered with Xiaomi's Mi Video application to make Dailymotion's regional and global catalogues available to Mi Video users. The service remains an international video destination with an emphasis on professionally supplied content as well as open video sharing, and the referenced material reports more than 300 million monthly users.

Dailymotion was established in Paris in March 2005 by Benjamin Bejbaum and Olivier Poitrey. The founders reportedly pooled €6,000 from six individuals to launch the service, entering a market in which online video was beginning to move from small specialist communities toward mass consumer use. Dailymotion's initial proposition centered on allowing people to upload, watch, and share video through a browser-based platform. The company raised institutional funding in September 2006 from Atlas Ventures and Partech International. In 2007, it joined with other companies in the sector to create ASIC, an industry association connected with online video. Dailymotion also began building an international footprint: an office in New York opened in 2007, followed by London in 2009, San Francisco in 2011, Singapore in 2014, and Abidjan in 2016. This expansion supported a strategy based on local content discovery and regional media relationships rather than a single globally uniform service. A significant product milestone occurred in February 2008, when Dailymotion introduced 720p high-definition support. This made it one of the earlier recognized video platforms to provide HD playback at a time when broadband video quality was improving rapidly. The service later developed a broad multilingual presence, with the referenced material describing availability in 183 languages and 43 localized versions. Its content mix expanded beyond user uploads to include news, sports, music, and entertainment supplied by professional publishers and partners. Ownership became an important part of Dailymotion's history. The French government's Strategic Investment Fund invested in 2009. Orange acquired 49 percent in January 2011 for €62 million and purchased the remaining 51 percent in January 2013 for €61 million. In May 2013, the French government blocked Yahoo's proposed majority investment, an intervention that demonstrated the strategic and political sensitivity surrounding a large French internet platform. Orange later discussed possible international arrangements with Microsoft and other partners, including options that would have supported expansion in the United States while preserving Orange's majority control. In 2015, Vivendi bought an 80 percent stake from Orange and raised its ownership to 90 percent in September. Dailymotion consequently became part of a large French media group with interests in television, film, music, and communications. After Canal+ was separated from Vivendi as an independent group in the 2020s, Dailymotion came under Canal+'s ownership; the referenced article identifies this ownership transition as occurring in 2024. Copyright enforcement has been a recurring issue. In June 2007, a Paris high court characterized Dailymotion as a hosting provider rather than a publisher, but nevertheless found that it could be liable when it was aware of infringing content and continued to provide the means for its distribution. The Paris Court of Appeal later imposed a €1.3 million fine in December 2014 in litigation brought by TF1 and LCI. The company has responded through a combination of automated systems and human curation, with a stated ability, according to a company technology executive quoted in the reference material, to remove questionable or unlawful material rapidly. Dailymotion has also faced government blocking. Kazakhstan blocked the service in 2011. India briefly blocked it in 2012, reversed that decision after a court clarified that individual infringing URLs should be targeted, and imposed another short-lived nationwide restriction in late 2014 and early 2015 over security concerns. Russia permanently blocked the site in January 2017 after a Moscow court found repeated copyright violations. Alongside these regulatory challenges, Dailymotion continued pursuing distribution partnerships. In September 2020, it integrated its catalogue with Xiaomi's Mi Video application, extending access to Dailymotion's regional and international music, entertainment, sports, and news content. The platform's identity has therefore evolved from an open video-sharing site into a global, localized, and partnership-oriented digital media service.

• 2024

  Dailymotion becomes part of Canal+

  [1]Dailymotionen.wikipedia.org

  Following Canal+'s separation from Vivendi as an independent group, Dailymotion is identified as being owned by Canal+.

• 2020

  Mi Video distribution partnership

  [1]Dailymotionen.wikipedia.org

  Dailymotion partners with Xiaomi's Mi Video application to distribute its global and regional catalogue.

• 2015

  Vivendi becomes controlling shareholder

  [1]Dailymotionen.wikipedia.org

  Vivendi purchases 80 percent of Dailymotion from Orange and later increases its stake to 90 percent.

• 2013

  Orange obtains full ownership

  [1]Dailymotionen.wikipedia.org

  Orange purchases the remaining 51 percent for €61 million. Later that year, the French government blocks Yahoo's proposed majority investment.

• 2011

  Orange buys 49 percent

  [1]Dailymotionen.wikipedia.org

  Orange acquires a 49 percent stake for €62 million.

• 2009

  French Strategic Investment Fund invests

  [1]Dailymotionen.wikipedia.org

  France's Strategic Investment Fund takes an investment position in Dailymotion.

• 2008

  720p high-definition support introduced

  [1]Dailymotionen.wikipedia.org

  Dailymotion adds 720p playback, becoming one of the early major online-video services to support HD resolution.

• 2007

  Industry association and international expansion

  [1]Dailymotionen.wikipedia.org

  Dailymotion helps create ASIC and opens an office in New York as it begins developing an international presence.

• 2006

  First institutional funding

  [1]Dailymotionen.wikipedia.org

  Atlas Ventures and Partech International participate in a financing round for Dailymotion.

• 2005

  Dailymotion is founded in Paris

  [1]Dailymotionen.wikipedia.org

  Benjamin Bejbaum and Olivier Poitrey establish Dailymotion and launch it as an online video-sharing service.

International video-sharing and streaming service combining user-uploaded videos, professionally produced media, localized discovery, and advertising-supported distribution.

• Online video-sharing and streaming · 2005

  Dailymotion video platform

  The core Dailymotion service lets users watch, upload, embed, and share video. Its catalogue combines user-submitted material with professionally supplied programming, including news, sports, music, and entertainment. The service is distributed through localized versions with regional home pages and content, and supports advertising and media-partner distribution.

• Localized digital media

  Dailymotion localized services

  Dailymotion operates localized experiences designed to surface content relevant to particular countries or language communities. The referenced material describes 43 localized versions and availability in 183 languages, supporting a mix of local discovery and internationally distributed programming.

• Publisher and platform distribution

  Dailymotion partner distribution

  Dailymotion distributes video catalogues through relationships with media organizations and technology platforms. Examples include North American launch partnerships with Vice Media, Bloomberg, and Hearst Digital Media, and the 2020 partnership with Xiaomi's Mi Video application.

• 2014

  TF1 and LCI copyright fine

  The Paris Court of Appeal found that Dailymotion had not taken sufficient action against users posting TF1 and LCI content and imposed a €1.3 million fine.

  Source

• 2007

  Paris copyright-liability ruling

  A Paris high court held that Dailymotion was a hosting provider but could be liable for copyright infringement when it knew that illegal videos were available and continued to provide the means for their distribution.

  Source

Read more

• 2020Mi Video catalogue partnership

  Global and regional markets served by Xiaomi Mi Video

  Dailymotion made music, entertainment, sports, and news programming available to users of Xiaomi's Mi Video application, extending the platform's distribution beyond its own destination.

  Outcome. Expanded third-party distribution of Dailymotion's catalogue.

  Source

• 2020

  Expand distribution through Mi VideoStrategy

  Background

  Dailymotion sought additional reach for its international and regional catalogue through third-party digital video applications.

  Action taken

  Dailymotion partnered with Xiaomi's Mi Video application.

  Aftermath

  Mi Video users received access to Dailymotion music, entertainment, sports, and news content.

  Source

• 2015

  Sell controlling interest to VivendiM&A

  Background

  Orange sought a new strategic owner for Dailymotion after becoming its sole shareholder.

  Action taken

  Vivendi purchased 80 percent of Dailymotion and increased its stake to 90 percent later in the year.

  Aftermath

  Dailymotion became part of Vivendi's broader media portfolio and was subsequently associated with Canal+ ownership.

  Source

• 2013

  Government blocks proposed Yahoo majority investmentM&A

  Background

  Yahoo sought a majority position in Dailymotion, while the French government treated the company as a strategically important domestic internet asset.

  Action taken

  The French government prevented the proposed majority acquisition by Yahoo.

  Aftermath

  Orange retained control and later pursued discussions with Microsoft and other potential international partners.

  Source

• 2008

  Introduce 720p high-definition videoProduct launch

  Background

  Online video services were competing increasingly on playback quality as broadband access improved.

  Action taken

  Dailymotion added support for 720p high-definition video.

  Aftermath

  The move positioned Dailymotion among the early major online-video platforms to support HD playback.

  Source

• 2020

  Dailymotion partners with Xiaomi's Mi Video[1]Dailymotionen.wikipedia.org

  Campaign · Other

  Dailymotion granted users of Xiaomi's Mi Video application access to its international and regional catalogues covering music, entertainment, sports, and news.

• 2017

  Russia permanently blocks Dailymotion[1]Dailymotionen.wikipedia.org

  Regulation · Lawsuit

  The Moscow City Court ordered a permanent block after finding repeated copyright-law violations involving access to unauthorized television content.

• 2015

  Vivendi acquires majority control of Dailymotion[1]Dailymotionen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Vivendi purchased an 80 percent interest in Dailymotion from Orange and increased its holding to 90 percent later that year.

• 2014

  Dailymotion faces renewed access restrictions in India[1]Dailymotionen.wikipedia.org

  Regulation · Other

  India temporarily blocked access to Dailymotion amid government concerns about extremist material. Access was restored shortly afterward, following earlier debate over whether specific URLs rather than entire services should be blocked.

• 2013

  Orange completes acquisition of the remaining Dailymotion shares[1]Dailymotionen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Orange bought the remaining 51 percent of Dailymotion for €61 million and became its sole corporate owner.

• 2013

  French government blocks Yahoo majority investment proposal[1]Dailymotionen.wikipedia.org

  Regulation · M&A

  The French government prevented Yahoo from acquiring a majority stake in Dailymotion, amid concerns about control of a strategically important French internet company.

• 2011

  Orange acquires a 49 percent stake in Dailymotion[1]Dailymotionen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Orange acquired 49 percent of Dailymotion for €62 million, placing an established French telecommunications group at the center of the platform's ownership structure.

1. 1Dailymotionen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Dailymotion official websitedailymotion.com