Déjà vu! The French government refused, once again, to let Dailymotion – one of the country’s most successful Internet company – fall into foreign hands, urging the partially state-owned telecom operator Orange to consider an European partner instead.

The French video-sharing platform was launched in March 2005 and counts today 137 million unique visitors per month – compared with 1 billion forGoogle's GOOGL +0.52% YouTube – most of them fromEurope. Despite growing at about 30% per year, Dailymotion has yet make a profit with only about 10% of its roughly $110 million annual revenue actually coming from France, according to Orange chairman and chief executive, Stéphane Richard.

Until the end of last week, Orange was in talks to sell a 49% stake in the online video portal to Hong Kong-based telecom operator PCCW Group at a valuation of about $273 million (€250 million), before the negotiations collapsed over the French government’s insistence for a European partner. Orange acquired Dailymotion in two phases (2011 and 2013) for a total of €120 million.

France blocked yet again the sale of French video-sharing website Dailymotion, this time to Hong Kong-based telecom operator PCCW. Preferring instead a local partner like French media conglomerate Vivendi. AFP PHOTO / LIONEL BONAVENTURE (Photo credit should read LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP/Getty Images)

“An environment where policies appear to favor a French or European solution is discouraging for international business participation,” PCCW said in a statement explaining its decision. “We will therefore withdraw our discussions with Dailymotion and its current owners.”

Orange has been looking for years for a partner to help the 10 year old video site expand internationally and try to compete with YouTube. In 2014, the French government already blocked a bid by Yahoo YHOO -1.09%! to acquire 75% of the video streaming site, then valued at $300 million.

However, it will probably not be that picky with French media group Vivendi ’s recent offer to acquire all or at least a controlling stake of Dailymotion at a €250 million valuation, a strikingly same offer than the Hong Kong-based conglomerate!

“I don’t think the future of Dailymotion is French,” added Richard. But if you want to kill companies that have succeeded in France, then let’s go on like this, regretfully pointed the Orange chief executive.