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
Logitech Announces Q1 Fiscal Year 2027 Results28.7.2026 23:06:00 EEST | Press release
SIX Swiss Exchange Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR — Logitech International (SIX: LOGN) (Nasdaq: LOGI) today announced financial results for the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2027. Sales were $1.23 billion, up 7 percent in US dollars and 5 percent in constant currency, compared to Q1 of the prior year. GAAP gross margin was 49.5 percent, up 780 basis points, compared to Q1 of the prior year. Non-GAAP gross margin was 49.8 percent, up 770 basis points, compared to Q1 of the prior year. These numbers include $61 million in tariff refunds. GAAP operating income was $259 million, up 60 percent, compared to Q1 of the prior year. Non-GAAP operating income was $290 million, up 44 percent, compared to Q1 of the prior year. These numbers include $61 million in tariff refunds. GAAP earnings per share (EPS) was $1.63, up 66 percent compared to Q1 of the prior year. Non-GAAP EPS was $1.85, up 47 percent compared to Q1 of the prior year. Cash flow from operations was $167 million. The qua
Nexo Reaffirms EU Compliance28.7.2026 17:00:00 EEST | Press release
Nexo, a leading digital assets wealth platform, today reaffirmed product compliance across the European Economic Area (EEA), achieved ahead of MiCAR’s entry into force. The company operates with a local setup through two MiCAR-licensed partners bringing technical depth and operational maturity to Nexo's client-facing platform in the region. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260728038475/en/ Nexo's setup pairs its global wealth platform with dedicated, licensed European infrastructure — splitting custody and brokerage across two regulated partners: Tangany, licensed under MiCAR, provides institutional-grade custody infrastructure for digital assets. Meanwhile, DLT Finance, licensed under MiCAR and authorized under MiFID II, provides brokerage infrastructure for digital assets and financial instruments. Together, these partnerships pair Nexo’s global wealth platform with infrastructure specifically built for Europ
Interactive Brokers Opens AI Connectivity to Any Tool Built on the MCP Standard28.7.2026 17:00:00 EEST | Press release
Interactive Brokers (Nasdaq: IBKR), an automated global broker, today announced that clients can now connect their accounts to nearly any AI tool they already use. Previously limited to the certified marketplaces for ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok, clients can now also connect from a growing range of tools that support the Model Context Protocol (MCP), including Claude Code, Cursor, Perplexity, and Windsurf. MCP has become the common standard for connecting AI applications to outside services. Interactive Brokers' AI Integration has been built on MCP since launch, and clients can now connect from any MCP-compatible tool in addition to the certified marketplaces. “Interactive Brokers has long offered open APIs that let clients connect their accounts to the tools and systems they choose,” said Milan Galik, Chief Executive Officer of Interactive Brokers. “Supporting AI tools built on the Model Context Protocol (MCP) is a natural extension of that philosophy. It gives clients the flexibility to
Estée Lauder Announces New Fragrance, Glimmer, with Global Campaign Starring Hailee Steinfeld28.7.2026 17:00:00 EEST | Press release
Today, Estée Lauder announces the launch of Glimmer, a new prestige fragrance created for a new generation of consumers. An amber floral fragrance with a gourmand twist, Glimmer transforms the power of everyday "glimmers” - small moments of joy, hope, and connection - into a sensorial fragrance experience designed to inspire optimism, foster community, and leave a lasting impression. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260727469772/en/ Hailee Steinfeld stars as the face of Glimmer Acclaimed actress and singer Hailee Steinfeld stars as the face of Glimmer. Rooted in the belief that one spark can ignite many, the campaign positions Hailee and her singing voice as catalysts for the joy, optimism, and connection that are at the heart of Glimmer. “Hailee is the embodiment of what Glimmer represents; she is confident, has a contagious sense of joy, and understands the power of connecting with her community,” said Justin
Mindbreeze InSpire Reduces Token Maxxing, Turning Runaway AI Costs Into Predictable Enterprise Value28.7.2026 16:03:00 EEST | Press release
Mindbreeze, a leading global provider of AI-based knowledge management solutions, today announced that Mindbreeze InSpire reduces token maxxing, the costly overconsumption of large language model (LLM) tokens that is straining enterprise AI budgets. By retrieving only the most relevant, grounded content and passing it to LLMs with precision, Mindbreeze InSpire lowers the tokens required per answer while improving accuracy, giving enterprises a path to scalable AI with predictable economics. Token maxxing has become one of the most underestimated risks in enterprise AI. As organizations connect generative AI to their data, many default to injecting large volumes of undifferentiated context into every prompt, repeatedly, across thousands of queries. Industry analysis has warned that tokens are becoming the true unit of AI cost, with usage-driven and nonlinear spending that is difficult to forecast and quick to erode margins. The problem is rarely the model. It is what the model is asked
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