After being pinned by M6 last month, Molotov has just been ordered to pay a new fine, signed TF1 this time. The subject is always the same: the broadcasting of channels after the end of the contract between the two parties.
Molotov goes on setbacks. A few weeks after a dispute with M6, the French service finds itself in the sights of another great PAF, TF1. According to Capital, the Paris court ordered the platform to pay 8.5 million euros to the first channel. Which also demanded double this amount. The subject of the dispute is always the same. Molotov continued to broadcast TF1 group channels after the end of the initial contract with the latter. Since mid-2019, it is therefore without authorization that the distribution platform has retransmitted the channel of the Bouygues group and its little sisters, TMC, TFX and company. It will now have to cut off access to these channels within two weeks, under penalty of additional fines, up to € 75,000 per day of delay.
Molotov considers himself discriminated against
In his defense, Molotov denounced the tariff schedule of TF1, which offers a sliding scale according to the number of subscribers. A system that would benefit large distributors such as Internet service providers, whose boxes benefit from a much larger pool of customers than that of a company like Molotov. Thus, while the agreement signed in 2015 between the two camps provided for an annual tariff of 1.5 million euros, TF1 required, since 2019, a minimum of 4 million per year for the broadcasting of its channels. Still according to the magazine Capital, the sum could even climb to 22 million euros because TF1 relied on the number of registered subscribers – 11.5 million – and not on active users, around 4 million.
Arguments that justice has sent back to the ropes. If things go as with M6, it is likely to see the emergence of an amicable agreement between the two parties, so as not to permanently deprive Molotov subscribers of TF1 group channels.
These two legal defeats, pending further decisions in other cases, deal a heavy blow to Molotov. They also reflect the more aggressive strategy than ever of traditional chains. It should be remembered that TF1 recently launched MyTF1 Max, a paid replay offer that other French distributors, such as Molotov, are very little tasted of, but also myCANAL or Salto.
Digital is a media outlet of the Unify group, which itself belongs to TF1.