RAKUTEN LAUNCHES 90 FREE LINEAR CHANNELS IN 42 EUROPEAN MARKETS

Rakuten has expanded its AVOD offering with the launch of over 90 free linear channels in 42 European markets. The line-up, which will vary in each territory, comprises a variety of categories, including movies, entertainment, lifestyle, music, sports, news, TV shows, and kids.

Rakuten TV’s offer will bring together global brands such as Bloomberg TV, Bloomberg Quicktake, CNNi (available in the UK, Germany and Poland), Euronews (the first live channel integrated into Rakuten TV’s AVOD offer), Qwest TV, Reuters, and XUMO-powered content, including eight Stingray channels, The Hollywood Reporter channel, and brands from Condé Nast such as Glamour, GQ, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and Wired.

Audiences will be offered a selection of local content through partnerships top European media groups for the launch of new channels, such as FilmRise, Real Stories, Timeline and the Lego channel in the UK; ¡Hola! Play and Planeta Junior in Spain; L’atelier des chefs, Luxe, Motosport and Humanity in France; Netzkino, Waidwerk Free, Tierwelt Live and Deluxe Lounge HD in Germany; and Bizzarro Movies and Cinema Segreto in Italy.

Furthermore, viewers will be able to watch Rakuten TV’s own channels, a broad and varied selection of content curated by categories, based on specific genres and interests: action, comedy, drama, British films, family, documentaries, thriller, romance, spotlight (featuring Rakuten TV original and exclusive content as well as a selection of movies) and Top Free (a selection that highlights the best films currently available on the platform).

“We are eager to contribute once again to the disruption of the entertainment industry with this major step on the growth and innovation on Rakuten TV, which aims to enrich our business model and content offer,”  commented Jacinto Roca, Founder and CEO at Rakuten TV. “At a time when the entertainment sector is living an unprecedented transformation, and consumption habits are constantly evolving, we are striving to adapt our business model to meet users and advertisers needs at once,”  he added.