Over-the-top TV company Molotov has announced the launch of its brand and services in markets outside France, saying that this first wave of international expansion will focus on French-speaking Africa, with additional countries within the EMEA, South American and Asian regions under consideration. The streaming platform already has tens of thousands of paying subscribers in Cote d'Ivoire, following the arrival of its service in late December. Senegal will be next in January, Cameroon in February, Burkina Faso in March, and Tunisia in April, while Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo will follow during the first half of the year.
France-based Digital Virgo, a specialist in monetisation via direct carrier billing, is supporting Molotov's African expansion with its payment system, which relies on partnerships with local mobile operators. The new streaming services have been adapted for users with smartphones and tablets, the main equipment used to consume content in Africa, taking into account the connection performance at a local level.
Molotov said that it was holding discussions with other potential partners to launch regional versions of its streaming platform in new geographical areas, especially in Europe, South America and Asia. The company, which has attracted 13.2 million users in France, will continue to work with publishers to enhance its content offering of local linear channels, catch-up and on-demand content. It also plans to bring to new markets its ad supported VoD offering, which was introduced in France under the Mango brand in November 2020.
