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
FERM FOOD Acquires Orkla’s Former Site and Scales Up: Up to 20,000 Tonnes of Fermented Ingredients Per Year11.3.2026 08:00:00 EET | Press release
Danish ingredient producer FERM FOOD is acquiring Orkla’s former manufacturing site in Skovlund, Denmark, effective 1 April 2026. The acquisition provides new production facilities to expand the output of fermented plant-based ingredients for the food industry — driven by export demand that has emerged faster than expected. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260310904877/en/ Jens Legarth (CEO), Rikke Matthiesen (CSO), and Torbjørn Tyndkjær-Thomsen (Food & Process Developer) at FERM FOOD’s new production facilities. “We have outgrown our current facilities. With the Skovlund site, we can supply many more food manufacturers in Denmark and abroad. Global interest has developed faster than we expected — and that is why we are scaling up now,” says Jens Legarth, CEO of FERM FOOD. Once fully ramped up, the new fermentation facility is expected to reach an annual capacity of up to 20,000 tonnes, depending on product mix
Galderma Buys Back Shares Worth CHF 232 Million in the Context of Accelerated Bookbuild Offering11.3.2026 08:00:00 EET | Press release
Galderma (SIX: GALD), the pure-play dermatology category leader, today announced that it has agreed to repurchase 1.6 million shares at a price of CHF 143.75 per share for a total consideration of CHF 232 million in the context of the accelerated bookbuild offering (“ABO”) of Galderma shares by Sunshine SwissCo GmbH (“EQT”), Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (Private Equities Department) and Auba Investment Pte. Ltd. (all together the “Selling Shareholders”) launched yesterday evening. The repurchase was made at the same price per share determined by the bookbuilding offering. As a result of yesterday evening’s ABO, the Selling Shareholders have fully divested their remaining stake in Galderma. The repurchase, which is expected to settle on March 13 is being financed by Galderma’s existing liquidity on hand and will not affect the company’s ability to deliver on its strategic and financing priorities. The shares will be held in treasury for future use in connection with Galderma's employe
Thales Launches SkyDefender: The Integral Air and Missile Defence Dome With Artificial Intelligence11.3.2026 08:00:00 EET | Press release
As air and missile threats are evolving faster than ever, from slow-moving drones to hypersonic missiles, attacks are becoming increasingly complex, saturating and unpredictable. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260310398606/en/ SkyDefender © Thales Thales SkyDefender provides full protection against all types of air threats, from a few kilometres to several thousands of kilometres: Short-range: for protection of forces, vital assets and sensitive sites: ForceShield creates a real protection bubble against lower layer and surface threats at very short- and short-range, such as drones. Medium-range: for protection at theatre-level defence: SAMP-T NG by eurosam1 with up to 150 km engagement range, including Thales’ powerful Ground Fire radar with 350 km range and 360°/90° coverage against medium-range defence. Long-range: for protection against long-range threats with early-warning capabilities: a unique capacity
Curatis and Neupharma Announce Exclusive Licensing Agreement to Develop and Market Corticorelin (C-PTBE-01) for the Treatment of Peritumoral Brain Edema in Japan11.3.2026 08:00:00 EET | Press release
Curatis Holding AG (SIX: CURN) and Neupharma Co., Ltd. (“Neupharma”), a Japanese pharmaceutical company specializing in oncology, immunology, pulmonology and cardiology disorders, today announce an exclusive license and development agreement for corticorelin (C-PTBE-01) in Japan. Under the terms of the agreement, Neupharma will receive exclusive rights to develop and commercialize corticorelin for the treatment of peritumoral brain edema (PTBE) in Japan. PTBE is a tumor-associated condition for which no approved targeted therapies currently exist. Neupharma will finance and conduct a pivotal clinical trial in Japan to support filing for approval in Japan. Curatis will receive upfront and milestone payments for the achievement of regulatory and commercial targets totaling up to CHF 83.5 million, as well as royalties on future sales in Japan of up to 20%. The agreement stipulates that corticorelin is planned to be introduced in Japan initially for children and adolescents. A meeting with
Galderma Completes Successful Placement of EUR 500 Million Eurobond11.3.2026 07:55:00 EET | Press release
Galderma Group AG (SWX:GALD): NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES OR IN ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE RESTRICTED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR REGULATION. Galderma Group AG (SIX:GALD), the pure-play dermatology category leader, today announced the successful placement of a single-tranche EUR 500 million Eurobond. The bond has a 5-year maturity and carries a fixed-rate annual coupon of 3.375%. The Eurobond was placed on March 10, 2026, with settlement expected on March 17, 2026, and will be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. Citigroup, ING, J.P. Morgan and RBC Capital Markets jointly led the transaction. Net proceeds from the transaction will be used to fully repay Galderma’s existing bank term loan issued in connection with the company’s initial public offering in March 2024. The transaction represents the final step in Galderma’s refinancing process, having obtained two investment grade credit ratings. Galderma is currently rated ‘BBB’ (stable outlook) by Fitc
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