// STARTUP COMPARISON
La Máquina vs Dailymotion
La Máquina failed in 2022 due to Unit Economics. Dailymotion failed in 2018 due to Competition. Different causes, different sectors, different eras — but the same simulation outcome.
| METRIC | 🔥 La Máquina | 🔥 Dailymotion |
|---|---|---|
| Sector | Media | Media |
| Country | Chile | France |
| Founded | 2016 | 2005 |
| Died | 2022 | 2018 |
| Raised | $2M | $168M |
| Peak | 2M monthly readers | 300M monthly visitors |
| Primary Cause | Unit Economics | Competition |
// WHY EACH FAILED
🔥 La Máquina
Unit Economics
La Máquina built a digital media brand in Chile covering technology and business for 2M monthly readers. As Google and Facebook absorbed digital advertising revenue in Chile, advertising rates for local publishers fell 60% between 2016 and 2022. The company attempted to transition to paid subscriptions but the Chilean market's subscription adoption was too slow to offset advertising revenue losses. La Máquina shut down in 2022.
// LESSON
Digital media advertising models are in terminal structural decline in every market Google and Facebook reach. Start the subscription transition before you need it. By the time advertising revenue is insufficient, you have two years of runway left — not enough to build a subscription base.
Digital media advertising models are in terminal structural decline in every market Google and Facebook reach. Start the subscription transition before you need it. By the time advertising revenue is insufficient, you have two years of runway left — not enough to build a subscription base.
🔥 Dailymotion
Competition
Dailymotion was France's leading video platform, reaching 300M monthly visitors. Despite multiple acquisition attempts (Microsoft at $300M in 2011 was blocked by the French government under strategic asset protection), Dailymotion was sold to Orange (French telco) in 2013 and then Vivendi in 2015. YouTube's global scale, creator monetization, and algorithmic recommendation made Dailymotion irrelevant. By 2018 it had lost all meaningful market share.
// LESSON
Government strategic asset protection can trap a company in a smaller market with insufficient capital to compete globally. Dailymotion needed Microsoft's distribution. Without it, being French didn't help it compete with being Google.
Government strategic asset protection can trap a company in a smaller market with insufficient capital to compete globally. Dailymotion needed Microsoft's distribution. Without it, being French didn't help it compete with being Google.
// EXPLORE FURTHER