Dailymotion

Dailymotion is a video-sharing technology platform. It is primarily owned by Vivendi. North American launch partners include BBC News, VICE, Bloomberg, Hearst Digital Media, and more. Dailymotion is available worldwide, in 18 languages and 35 localised versions featuring local home pages and local content. It has more than 300 million unique monthly users.

Founding and funding
In March 2005, Benjamin Bejbaum and Olivier Poitrey founded the Dailymotion website from the living room of Poitrey's apartment in Paris. Six individuals pooled together €6,000 ($9,271 USD) to start the business. In September 2006, Dailymotion raised funds in collaboration with Atlas Ventures and Partech International. They raised 7 million euros which was considered to be the most funds raised in 2006 from the French Web 2.0. In October 2009, the French government invested in Dailymotion through the Strategic Investment Fund. On 25 January 2011, Orange acquired a 49% stake in Dailymotion for €62 million, valuing the company at €120 million.

On 10 January 2013 Orange bought the remaining 51% for €61 million. On or about 2 May 2013, the French government blocked Yahoo's acquisition of a majority stake in Dailymotion.

On 25 February 2014, Orange revealed it was in discussions with Microsoft about a deal that could see Dailymotion extend into the US market. In an interview with a local television station in Barcelona Stéphane Richard, CEO of Orange, said there was "great hope" an agreement would be reached. Any deal would see Orange retain majority ownership of Dailymotion. Richard said his company was in talks with other potential partners as well with a view to expanding Dailymotion's international appeal, but said discussions with others were more in relation to content.

In 2015, Vivendi purchased 80% stake in Dailymotion from Orange S. A. In September 2015 Vivendi increased its ownership to 90%.

Feature development
Dailymotion allows users to browse and upload videos by searching tags, channels, or user-created groups. The search system also introduces results based on other users' searches. The maximum size of a video file is 2 GB. The length of the video files is also limited to 60 minutes, except for motionmakers and Official Users.

In 2005, Dailymotion offered users simple functionalities such as: video upload (from file or webcam), a video player (using Flash) and a browsing system (sorted by channels, user-created groups and tags)

In 2006, Dailymotion added new functions: users could follow and recommend videos to other users, subscribe to channels, add friends, etc. Dailymotion also optimised sharing options: with the embedded player, users could integrate easily videos on their own sites or blogs. Video statistics were added, number of views being showcased on top of the video, allowing users to know which videos were the most popular. Dailymotion developed advertising on the website (display, web banners).

In 2007, a "Fingerprinting" program was launched with Audible Magic, to counter copyright violation. The program scans the soundtracks of the videos and automatically recognises copyrights. High Quality (640x480) became available for all users and Dailymotion created different user status: motionmakers (creative users who create original content) and Official Users (professionals, brands who want to broadcast videos). In 2007 the first web app was also launched on iPhone and on "wap SFR" in France. Videos uploaded by users to Dailymotion used to be (until 2008, see below) converted to the VP6 format at a resolution of 320×240. Audio on Dailymotion videos used to be encoded as MP3 at 96 kbit/s in stereo. The partnership gave Dailymotion the financial backing it needed to upgrade its servers to handle High Definition video and showcase its motionmaker videos.

Dailymotion started its international expansion in 2008. The website was launched in many languages and its content was located by countries. The Home Page was optimised, High Definition (720p) and subtitles appeared on the player. "Dailymotion Kids" was launched: a channel dedicated to children with special content, a dedicated look & feel, and parental control. In February 2008, HD quality was made available to motionmaker users. In October 2008, HD quality was made available to regular users.

In 2009, Dailymotion left its homemade PHP framework to use Symfony. The mobile was also updated to make it compatible with more telecoms and specific apps were developed for iPhone. The player was optimised in HTML5 for motion-makers and Official Users and in 16:9 for all users. The "Fingerprinting" program started to recognise video in addition to audio. "Facebook connect" made account creation easier for users and search engine was optimised. The Dailymotion Publisher Network (DPN) was launched, this program enables the sharing advertising revenue for websites which use Dailymotion's videos. In May 2009 Dailymotion announced that it would make its videos available using the HTML5 video element using an Ogg video format.

Two new functions on Dailymotion in 2010: Quicklists and Contests – Quicklists is a simple way to browse videos and choose to watch now or later. On a contest page, all users can post their videos and try to win a prize. Dailymotion launched its white label video program called "Dailymotion Cloud" in October 2010.

In 2011, Dailymotion initiated a live tool for Official Users. The player was also optimised, integrating the Adobe Auditude-program for advertising and Full HD resolution (1080p). Dailymotion also tested 3D via a dedicated player. "Facebook Video Tab" boosted the social strategy of Dailymotion. They also worked on apps for Xbox 360, Smart TV and Android. They launched the OpenVOD (video-on-demand) program in the end of 2011. With Open VoD, content creators can sell their programs, and choose the price, format, player, and promotion, as well as access their stats. They can broadcast on the Dailymotion website as well as on apps (through tablets, smartphones, and connected devices) and anywhere on the web.

The "Dailymotion Mass Uploader" was launched in 2012. Based on Adobe AIR technology, it allows users to upload several videos simultaneously. In February Dailymotion and Facebook started a partnership to launch "Open Graph Watch", a program which allows an automatic sharing for logged-users. A new system of tags and a new Home Page appeared as well.

In 2017, Dailymotion revamped its user-facing platform as part of the platform's most expansive update since its inception. The new interface includes an evolved user interface that prioritises premium content from verified publishers, shifting the focus from user-generated content to top-tier video content from trusted publishers. In December 2017, the company released the new platform for Android TV in the Google Play™ store. Dailymotion is also available on the web (dailymotion.com), iOS, Apple TV (Apple Store) and Xbox One.

Global locations
The head office is located in the Immeuble Horizons 17 in the 17th arrondissement of Paris. It was inaugurated by CBRE Investors. The 10-story building has 6000 sqm of space, with 5000 sqm occupied by offices. Previously the company was headquartered in the 18th arrondissement. Dailymotion began expanding its physical presence internationally in 2007, when the company opened its office in New York City. Since then, Dailymotion offices have been opened in London (2009), San Francisco (2011), Singapore (2014) and Abidjan (2016).

In 2017, Dailymotion expanded its US presence with the announcement of several key executive appointments, including the addition of Mel Behassa as SVP of Advertising (New York), Claudia Page, VP and Head of Partner Products (New York), and Shana Eddy-Grouf as interim Head of US Content (Los Angeles).

Dailymotion is available in 35 countries including: Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam

Platforms
A Dailymotion video-sharing application is available for Windows 10, Windows Phone, iOS and Android mobile operating systems, and most recently the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One gaming consoles. "To make the app even more attractive to PS4 and Xbox One users, the Dailymotion offering focuses on gaming video content, including live streams to get instant access to the most popular gaming broadcasts. A user can browse by their favourite games to find live streams being played in real-time.

Blocking of Dailymotion
Dailymotion was banned in India in May 2012, but in June 2012 India unblocked access to video and file sharing sites including Dailymotion. The Madras High Court changed its earlier order explaining that only specific URLs carrying illegally copied content should be blocked, not entire websites. Dailymotion was again banned in India in December 2014, due to Government concerns that the site might be hosting videos pertaining to ISIS propaganda. On 31 December, however, Dailymotion was again unblocked in India.

Dailymotion has been banned in Kazakhstan since August 2011.

Copyright cases
In June 2007, Dailymotion was found liable for copyright infringement by a Paris High Court. The judges held that Dailymotion is a hosting provider, and not a publisher, but that it must be held liable for copyright infringement, as it was aware of the presence of illegal content on its site. Such illegal content may be copyrighted material uploaded to Dailymotion by Dailymotion users. The Parisian judges held that Dailymotion was aware that illegal videos were put online on its site, and that it must therefore be held liable for the acts of copyright infringement, since it deliberately furnished the users with the means to commit the acts of infringement.

In December 2014, Dailymotion was fined €1.3 million. The Paris Court of Appeal found that the site had infringed the copyright of French television station TF1 and news channel LCI. The court ruled that Dailymotion had failed to take action against users illegally posting TF1 content online.

According to Chief Product & Technology Officer Guillaume Clément, as of 2017 the company employs a combination of human curation and automated tools to ensure copyright holder rights are protected within the destination. Per Clément, Dailymotion is able to remove questionable or illegal content within two hours.

In Russia, Dailymotion is permanently blocked since January 2017, because the Moscow City Court ruled that the site was repeatedly violating Russia's copyright law by providing access to illegal TV content.