The return of Dailymotion: should YouTube be worried?

Photo credit: Dailymotion.

Dailymotion, the French video streaming platform, is seeking to relaunch itself by launching a new version with the aim of attracting 18-24 year olds, expanding its audience, and returning to profits. The platform, which aims to attract a billion users in the years to come, is still used by 9 out of 10 French Internet users in 2023, although its notoriety is much lower than that of YouTube.

A new algorithm that “wishes you well”

To counter the domination of YouTube, Dailymotion has revised its interface and algorithm. The new interface will offer a video feed in vertical format, similar to TikTok, but with a different orientation. Dailymotion focuses on content diversity and wants to encourage users to participate in video via the “React” option. The objective is to offer varied content and encourage debate on video, thus distinguishing itself from YouTube.

Creators, the sinews of war

Dailymotion is also counting on the arrival of content creators, whether they are celebrities or addressing niche subjects, to promote goodwill on the platform and offer a variety of content, whether short, long, vertical or horizontal.

The platform seems to emphasize a type of content creator who moves away from the entertainment-oriented profiles that make YouTube successful. This is evidenced by the content creators selected for its display campaign such as high-tech profiles (notably the creator Verbozz).

In terms of economic objectives, Dailymotion aims to double its number of subscribers in three years and triple it in five years. The platform relies on advertising to generate revenue, but has no plans to offer a premium subscription like YouTube. Tools allowing creators to monetize their community beyond advertising are also in the works.

Debate, Dailymotion’s leitmotif to differentiate itself

Dailymotion seeks to differentiate itself from YouTube by emphasizing content diversity, kindness and video debate, while aiming for significant audience growth and exploring new monetization methods for content creators.

Although Dailymotion is already known, the number of creators on the platform remains quite limited for the moment. It is a major challenge for the platform to quickly bring in creators, particularly those with a strong reputation, otherwise it will surely struggle to win over new users.