History of Dailymotion in Timeline

Dailymotion is a French online video-sharing platform owned by Canal+, previously by Vivendi until 2024. Launched with North American partners like Vice Media, Bloomberg, and Hearst Digital Media, it was an early supporter of HD video (720p). Available globally in 183 languages and 43 localized versions, Dailymotion boasts over 300 million monthly users. The platform enables users to upload, share, and view videos across a diverse range of content categories.

March 2005: Dailymotion Founded

In March 2005, Benjamin Bejbaum and Olivier Poitrey founded Dailymotion, investing €6,000 (US $9,271) pooled from six individuals.

September 2006: Dailymotion Raises Funds

In September 2006, Dailymotion raised €7 million in collaboration with Atlas Ventures and Partech International, marking it as the largest fundraising effort for a French Web 2.0 company that year.

June 2007: Copyright Infringement Liability

In June 2007, Dailymotion was found liable for copyright infringement by a Paris High Court. The court determined Dailymotion was aware of illegal content uploaded by users and failed to prevent it.

2007: New York City Office Opening

Dailymotion expanded its physical presence internationally in 2007 with the opening of its office in New York City.

2007: Dailymotion Created ASIC

In 2007, Dailymotion collaborated with other companies in the sector to create ASIC.

February 2008: Dailymotion Supports HD Video Resolution

In February 2008, Dailymotion began supporting high-definition video resolution of 720p, establishing itself as one of the earliest platforms to offer HD video.

October 2009: French Government Invests in Dailymotion

In October 2009, the French government invested in Dailymotion through the Strategic Investment Fund.

2009: London Office Opening

In 2009, Dailymotion opened an office in London, further expanding its international presence.

January 2011: Orange Acquires Stake in Dailymotion

On January 25, 2011, Orange acquired a 49% stake in Dailymotion for €62 million, valuing the company at €120 million.

August 2011: Dailymotion Banned in Kazakhstan

In August 2011, Dailymotion was banned in Kazakhstan.

2011: San Francisco Office Opening

In 2011, Dailymotion opened an office in San Francisco.

May 2012: Dailymotion Banned in India

In May 2012, Dailymotion was banned in India.

January 2013: Orange Buys Remaining Stake

In January 2013, Orange acquired the remaining 51% of Dailymotion for €61 million.

May 2013: French Government Blocks Yahoo! Acquisition

Around May 2, 2013, the French government blocked Yahoo!'s attempt to acquire a majority stake in Dailymotion.

February 2014: Orange Discusses Deal with Microsoft

In February 2014, Orange revealed discussions with Microsoft regarding a deal that could expand Dailymotion into the US market. Stéphane Richard, CEO of Orange, expressed "great hope" for reaching an agreement.

December 2014: Dailymotion Banned in India Again

In December 2014, Dailymotion was banned in India for a second time due to government concerns regarding ISIS propaganda related to Indian rule in Kashmir.

December 2014: Dailymotion Fined for Copyright Infringement

In December 2014, Dailymotion was fined €1.3 million by the Paris Court of Appeal for failing to prevent users from illegally posting TF1 content online, thus infringing on the copyright of French television station TF1 and news channel LCI.

2014: Singapore Office Opening

In 2014, Dailymotion opened an office in Singapore, continuing its global expansion.

March 2015: Logo Change

In March 2015, the Dailymotion logo was updated to an all-lowercase bold wordmark.

2015: Vivendi Purchases Stake in Dailymotion

In 2015, Vivendi acquired an 80% stake in Dailymotion from Orange S.A., later increasing its ownership to 90% in September of the same year.

2016: Abidjan Office Opening

In 2016, Dailymotion opened an office in Abidjan.

January 2017: Dailymotion Blocked in Russia

In January 2017, Dailymotion was permanently blocked in Russia after the Moscow City Court determined that the site repeatedly violated Russia's copyright law by providing access to illegal TV content.

2017: Copyright Protection Measures

According to Guillaume Clément, as of 2017, Dailymotion employed a combination of human curation and automated tools to protect copyright holders' rights, removing questionable or illegal content within two hours.

2017: Website Redesign

In 2017, Dailymotion extensively redesigned its website, including recoloring the wordmark to light blue.

2018: Comment Section Removal

Around 2018, Dailymotion completely removed the comment section from its platform.

2019: Wordmark Change

In 2019, the Dailymotion wordmark was changed to monochrome.

September 2020: Dailymotion Partners with Mi Video

In September 2020, Dailymotion partnered with Mi Video, Xiaomi's global video app, to increase audience engagement by providing access to music, entertainment, sports, and news content.

2021: View Counter Removal

In mid-2021, Dailymotion removed the view counter feature.

June 2022: Picture-in-Picture View Mode Removed

On June 1-2, 2022, Dailymotion removed the picture-in-picture view mode, which previously allowed users to browse the site while watching a video in the lower-right corner of the screen.

May 2023: Logo Change

In May 2023, the Dailymotion logo was changed to an all-uppercase wordmark and the icon was updated to a 2.5D uppercase "D". New features like polls and video reactions were also added.

September 2024: Inactive Content Policy Announced

In September 2024, Dailymotion announced a new policy regarding inactive content, stating that content without any activity (views or modifications) in the last 13 months may be archived and eventually removed.

2024: Dailymotion's Ownership and User Base

In 2024, Dailymotion, a French online video sharing platform, was owned by Canal+ after previously being owned by Vivendi. The platform boasted over 300 million monthly users and had partnered with North American companies like Vice Media, Bloomberg, and Hearst Digital Media.