Rakuten TV Launches its AVOD Service in Europe
15.10.2019 11:30:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Rakuten TV, one of the leading video-on-demand platforms in Europe, today announced the launch of its first AVOD - ad-supported video-on-demand - channels within the platform. This new business model will allow viewers to watch a wide range of content for free.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191015005048/en/
Rakuten TV's new UI 4.0 including "Free" section (Photo: Rakuten TV)
The free section of Rakuten TV will launch with an initial offer including Hollywood and local content to be expanded to additionally include exclusive Rakuten content, TV series, documentary series, news and sport channels in the coming months - with a combined linear and on-demand offer.
Among the exclusive content, Rakuten TV will present on its AVOD channel Matchday - Inside FC Barcelona, the new documentary series about FC Barcelona from the inside, offering previously unseen and exclusive scenes from the players’ private lives. Narrated by John Malkovich, Matchday – Inside FC Barcelona is a creation of Barça Studios, FC Barcelona’s own production house, in collaboration with Kosmos Studios, Rakuten, Inc. in association with Rakuten H Collective Studio and Producciones del Barrio.
Expanding its business model proposition, Rakuten TV will be the first to combine TVOD and AVOD products across Europe, meeting the changing needs of viewers. The free ad-supported channels will enrich the original proposition of Rakuten TV - Your Cinema at Home - offering Smart TV viewers the best cinematic experience with the latest new releases in the best audiovisual quality. Thanks to the presence of a remote control button providing direct access to the app on major Smart TVs, Rakuten TV content will be just a click away for over 30 million households across Europe.
In a time when the streaming industry is increasingly changing and exploring avenues such as AVOD, Rakuten TV is proud to pioneer this trend in Europe as the main VOD platform combining different business models - TVOD, AVOD and SVOD - which are oriented around meeting all audience needs.
Jacinto Roca, Rakuten TV Founder and CEO, stated: “We are incredibly proud to take this step after having tripled our presence in Europe just a few months ago. Rakuten TV continues to evolve rapidly alongside consumer trends within the industry, where there is a clear trend of advertisers moving away from linear TV and towards VOD. This is a unique opportunity for Rakuten TV which has already direct access to millions of European households through its branded remote control button of the main Smart TV brands. This is the mere beginning of a huge project which will see the launch of additional channels and exclusive content in the coming months”.
The service will be available in beta version, across the complete 2019 SMART TV line up, and will be progressively rolled out in other platforms including mobile and desktop.
Advertising sales will be managed by Rakuten Marketing, a subsidiary of Rakuten Inc. Nick Stamos, Rakuten Marketing CEO, stated: “Advertisers and agencies are eager to be among the first to showcase their brands in this exclusive and groundbreaking advertising platform. As VOD is emerging as a powerful media channel, our clients have been anticipating this launch from RakutenTV, so we are very excited to bring this new proposition to market across Europe.”
Rakuten Viber, Rakuten’s instant messaging service, will also be involved in the project, leveraging its community of 2 million Barça fans to promote Matchday.
Nielsen will be the data partner (DMP-data management platform) used to target advertisements at a digital level
This news comes alongside a renewed platform design for Rakuten TV, with a more attractive look & feel, a more intuitive user interface and a simpler user journey. Within the new interface, viewers will discover the new channel offering featuring ad-supported content inside the ‘free’ section implemented within the header menu.
The announcement took place during the conference “AVOD on the Rise” at MIPCOM 2019, where Founder and CEO of Rakuten TV, Jacinto Roca, spoke about the AVOD industry and its evolution with other top players in the entertainment field.
Rakuten TV
Rakuten TV is one of the leading Video On-Demand platforms in Europe. It offers a TVOD service (Transactional VOD) providing viewers a true cinematic experience with the latest new releases in the best audiovisual quality. It also includes an AVOD (Advertising VOD) section, Rakuten TV Free, in a blend of thematic channels embracing Hollywood classics, local, exclusive and themed content, all for free.
Rakuten TV is available in 42 countries and forms part of Rakuten, Inc., one of the world’s leading internet services companies, offering a wide variety of services for consumers and businesses, with a focus on e-commerce, fintech and digital content. Rakuten, headquartered in Japan, is also known for its partnerships with FC Barcelona, the NBA, the Golden State Warriors, Davis Cup and Spartan Race.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191015005048/en/
Contact information
Media Contacts:
For further information please contact:
Premier PR – Rakuten TV
Charlie Wainwright - Premier PR on behalf of Rakuten TV
charlie.wainwright@premiercomms.com
0207 292 7372
Rakuten TV
Fabiana Cumia – Communication Director – fabiana.cumia@rakuten.com
Iraia Arza – PR & Communication Specialist – iraia.arza@rakuten.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Epinal, Inc. Emerges from Stealth with First-of-Its-Kind Breakthrough Semiconductor Electrochemical Biosensor (SEB) for Detection of Narcotics and Disease Biomarkers in Human Breath in Minutes11.11.2026 15:22:00 EET | Press release
Epinal, Inc., after over six years of under-the-radar development, has officially emerged from stealth mode, introducing a breakthrough Semiconductor Electrochemical Biosensor (SEB) designed to detect narcotics and disease biomarkers directly from human breath in minutes. By combining advanced semiconductors, electrochemical sensing, tailored protein engineering, and artificial intelligence, Epinal has addressed the historical sensitivity, selectivity, scaling, stability, and signal-to-noise limitations that have long bottlenecked biosensors. Epinal’s Semiconductor Electrochemical Biosensor (SEB) will be integrated into the next generation of low cost, disposable, single-use breathalyzer cartridges where the integrity of test results is of utmost importance. In the case of narcotic detection, a rapid, non-invasive, and objective result changes an outcome. End customers for Epinal’s SEB include breathalyzer manufacturers, healthcare, mobile computers & clinical smartphones, handheld bio
Compass Pathways to Participate in Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference on November 18 th and 19 th11.11.2026 13:30:00 EET | Press release
Compass Pathways plc (Nasdaq: CMPS), a biotechnology company dedicated to unlocking urgently needed new treatment options in mental health care, announced today that management will attend the Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference on November 18 and 19, 2026 and will participate in a fireside chat on November 18 at 9:00am GMT and a panel on November 19 at 10:30am GMT. A live audio webcast of the fireside chat will be accessible at the following link: https://event.summitcast.com/view/avibSrFufLKeoLRAEgMxy6/eyqYNaU4UZTBAgMVip4JTx A live audio webcast of the panel will be accessible at the following link: https://event.summitcast.com/view/avibSrFufLKeoLRAEgMxy6/guest_book?session_id=H4EMMyKtX5Gd7TPGHGc3Si A replay of both webcasts will be accessible for 30 days following each event at the “Events” page of the Investors section of the Compass website. About Compass Pathways We believe mental health patients deserve the possibility of a better future. Compass Pathways plc (Nasdaq: CMPS) i
Lufthansa Selects Alcohol-Free Gewürztraminer Made with Solos Technology for Premium Allegris Business Class Experience11.11.2026 12:55:00 EET | Press release
Lufthansa has selected BREAKAWAY Gewürztraminer, an alcohol-free wine from German winery Bergdolt-Reif & Nett, for its Allegris Business Class. Made using Solos technology, the wine was chosen following a blind tasting and is scheduled to be served from November 2026 to January 2027. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261111810839/en/ BREAKAWAY Gewürztraminer by Bergdolt-Reif & Nett, made with Solos technology. The selection marks a milestone for both partners, bringing their expertise to Lufthansa's premium passengers. Where winemaking meets innovation BREAKAWAY Gewürztraminer is made from a late-harvest wine, chosen for its distinctive aromatic character. Bergdolt-Reif & Nett, a fifth-generation family winery in Germany's Palatinate region, has developed alcohol-free wines since 2022. "That the wine impressed in a blind tasting is the most important point for me," says Christian Nett, winemaker and Managing Dir
Quectel Expands 5G Antenna Portfolio With Ten Versatile Combo Solutions, From Compact 2-In-1 to Rugged 9-In-1 Designs11.11.2026 11:00:00 EET | Press release
Quectel Wireless Solutions, a global IoT solutions provider, today announces ten external combo antennas that combine 5G with GNSS, Wi-Fi or both in a single housing. Instead of specifying, fitting and testing a separate antenna for each radio, device makers can choose one unit matched to the size, technology mix and operating environment of their deployment. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261111461614/en/ Quectel expands 5G antenna portfolio with ten versatile combo solutions, from compact 2-in-1 to rugged 9-in-1 designs Across the family, each antenna combines multiple omnidirectional elements with high isolation between them to limit self-interference. Most models cover 5G from 600MHz to 6000MHz and remain backward compatible with 4G, 3G, 2G, LTE Cat-M and NB-IoT networks. All support screw mounting, some also adhesive mounting, and housings are built for outdoor use with ratings from IP65 up to IP69K. “Ev
Quectel SP900BF-AP Smart Module Sets the Pace for Edge AI with 100 TOPS of Computing Power11.11.2026 11:00:00 EET | Press release
Quectel Wireless Solutions, a global end-to-end IoT solutions provider, today announced the SP900BF-AP, a smart module that lets robots, inspection systems and edge gateways run large AI models on the device itself. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261111252890/en/ Quectel SP900BF-AP smart module sets the pace for Edge AI with 100 TOPS of computing power Built on the Qualcomm Dragonwing™ IQ-9075 Processor and delivering up to 100 TOPS of on-device AI compute, the module enables industrial OEMs to integrate advanced AI directly into their products, reducing latency, bandwidth costs and data privacy risks associated with cloud-based processing. By processing data locally, manufacturers can support real-time robotics, automated inspection and other demanding industrial applications while retaining greater control over sensitive production data. Long-term hardware availability also helps meet the extended product l
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom