Molotov presents French OTT service to the CSA

Molotov, the new French OTT service from former Canal+ boss Pierre Lescure, has applied for permission to launch by presenting the offering to regulator the CSA.

The Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel (CSA), France’s independent authority to protect audiovisual communication freedom, will decide whether to give approval to the service – which is currently being beta tested but is not yet publically available.

“We want, as a distributor, to reinvigorate the user experience, and bring the viewer closer to television,” said Molotov co-creator Jean-David Blanc.

“Molotov makes use of new technology – social media, connected TVs, mobile apps – to modernise access to and use of television, and give users more cause to enjoy the experience and content on offer.”

Lescure and Jean-David Blanc, the founder of AlloCiné, first announced the launch of Molotov in June, pitching the service as a ‘Spotify for TV’, as it will aggregate content and make it available via connected devices.

Last month Molotov announced it had struck OTT distribution deals with the major free TV channels in France – TF1, France Télévisions and M6 – as well as with Arte and the Lagardère and Groupe AB channel groups.

The service now claims it will provide access to more than 80 channels, with more to be added, and that it will initially be available online in France, before being rolled out for smartphones, tablets and connected TVs.

Molotov said that since June “tens of thousands of people” have registered for the service, and that it will be opened out to the first registered users before having a wider release.