The French Finance Ministry opposes telecommunications company Orange’s exclusive talks to sell a 49-per-cent stake in video-sharing platform Dailymotion to Hong Kong-based telco PCCW, according to the AFP news agency.
The report said that the ministry had indicated a preference for the stake to be sold to a European investor.
“All options must be examined, taking into account concern for European sovereignty,” a ministry spokesperson said.
The state has a 24.9-per-cent stake in DailyMotion.
Media companies Fimalac, Axel Springer and Bertelsmann have been linked with possible investment bids.
In 2013, the French government blocked a bid by US internet company Yahoo! to acquire Dailymotion.