• by Alex Weprin , November 20, 2017

The over-the-top business news network Cheddar is launching in Europe through the French streaming startup Molotov.

The deal with Molotov mirrors those the company has made in the U.S. with OTT platforms like Sling TV and Philo: offering its linear feed to the distributor for free, while supporting itself through advertising revenue.

Molotov is similar to services like Sling that stream live TV channels to any device, though Cheddar is the first OTT-only channel it will carry, according to TechCrunch.

The European launch is part of a larger expansion strategy Cheddar CEO Jon Steinberg laid out at the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s video symposium, which was held last week. “

By mid [2018], we will be on every OTT system in the U.S., and by that point we will start doing dynamic ad insertion too, which should create a nice floor for the lower entry buys,” Steinberg said then, adding that the company was eyeing international expansions with OTT providers, and would also launch a bureau in London.

Cheddar also plans to launch original shows for some platforms in 2018, potentially including Linkedin.