New version of Dailymotion launches in UK and Switzerland

The new premium content-focused version of Vivendi-owned video portal Dailymotion has launched in the UK and Switzerland, following its debut in France in July.

The new version of the free Dailymotion platform is launching in the UK as the next stage in its global rollout. The focus of the new service is to provide more personalisation to users who are seeking entertainment from trusted publishers and networks based on their tastes as well as a focus on premium content.

Dailymotion’s content partners for the launch include Vice, ITN, Endemol Shine, CNN and BeIN Sports. The new platform provides personalised streams of news, sports, music, entertainment and other content genres.

The service is prioritising premium content across the genres of news, sport, music and entertainment.

The video outfit is also placing additional emphasis on mobile content consumption. The Dailymotion mobile app is now available on the UK for iOS and Android devices, while a new desktop experience has been designed with lean-back entertainment experiences in mind.

New personalization features include a ‘For You’ feed where users can access recommended videos, an ‘Explore’ feature enabling the exploration of popular channels, topics and trends, ‘Topics’, a list of curated trending topics on breaking news, cultural movements and entertainment updates, and ‘Library’, a place for storing and viewing favourite content, featuring subscriptions and playlists. Viewers will also be able to watch library content offline.

The new Dailymotion also features a new HTML5 video player and new search algorithms.

“Video is the most emotive media format and the most powerful way to drive consumer connection—but the industry is not maximizing video to its full potential. We’re pioneering a new paradigm for video in which people can more easily discover the content they love, in which advertisers can connect with consumers in a brand-safe environment, and in which publishers can extend the reach of their content to relevant, engaged audiences.” said Maxime Saada, CEO and chairman of Dailymotion.

“We believe that the key to delivering a powerful user experience is to offer a combination of the web’s best content alongside the best technology for recommending and serving that content. To this end, we’ve positioned ourselves as a leader in both content and technology, because this is what delivers on our mission of providing the very best video experiences for our users,” said Guillaume Clément, chief technology officer and chief product officer at Dailymotion.

Dailymotion saw a dramatic decline in revenues and audience year-on-year in the first half of 2017, before the relaunch. The new version of the platform is designed to appeal to a slightly older demographic – 18-50 year-olds – than previously.