France: Molotov launches Mango AVoD
November 11, 2020
From Pascale Paoli-Lebailly in Paris
French OTT live and catch-up TV platform Molotov has launched new AVoD service Mango, France’s first. The free advertising-funded offering includes films, documentaries and kids shows, and will join Molotov’s platform of linear channels and catch-up services.
Mango has a catalogueof around 1,000 TV and cinema titles from various international rights owners such as Kabillion, Zylo, ACI, FIP, ZED, Ampersand, Sonar, ITV, Mediawan, Trade Media & Dynamic, Crome Films. Talks are on-going with Sony Pictures, Endemol, Lions Gate and Wild Bunch.
The service is presented as a new opportunity for rights-owners to distribute and monetise their content to Molotov’s 13 million users. Conceived as an aggregator, the service will also open up to third parties AVoD platforms.
“It was logical that Molotov introduces in France the AVoD model whose momentum is growing in the US,” commented Molotov co-founder Jean David Blanc. “Beyond this growth opportunity, Mango illustrates Molotov’s philosophy and mission which is to deliver free and pay TV content accessible to all, while offering rights owners a complementary revenue model.” The creator, AlloCiné, has cofounded the platform, and it is helmed by former Canal+ executive Pierre Lescure.
Molotov recently added a wireless functionality on the 2020 (and 2021) Panasonic smart TV models in France, rebranded as Molotov Source TV. Acting as a virtual STB, it allows users to watch linear, replay and on-demand TV contents (30,000 hours) without any box or antenna, just with a Wifi connection and from the TV remote control.
Molotov Source TV is available free-of-charge access to 34 TV channels, or with €3.99 and €9.99 add-on options making some 136 additional pay-TV and OTT services available.