A Paris court has ruled in favour of French broadcaster M6 in a legal dispute against OTT company Molotov, soon to be acquired by FuboTV. According to the court verdict seen by AFP, Molotov will have to pay damages amounting to EUR 7 million for airing M6’s free-to-air channels on its streaming platform without authorisation for more than three years. This follows failed negotiations over the renewal of Molotov’s distribution contract with M6, which triggered the legal dispute and was at the centre of a previous court ruling in 2019.
This latest verdict also blocks the airing of M6’s free-to-air channels (M6, W9 and 6ter) on Molotov’s streaming platform, while the broadcaster and the OTT company continue to hold discussions on a distribution deal, according to information gathered by AFP.
As reported by Le Parisien, French broadcaster TF1 is waiting for a court to rule on a similar case against Molotov, with a verdict expected sometime next year. TF1 has reportedly claimed damages amounting to over EUR 7 million, arguing that its free-to-air channels have been aired on Molotov’s streaming platform without authorisation for a number of years.
According to Capital, Molotov failed to renew its distribution deal with TF1 after the latter demanded nearly EUR 5 million, up from EUR 1.5 million agreed by the two partners under a previous contract.
