Cristian Liarte: “Originals are our way of telling the world what we are as a company”

Rakuten TV is a video-on-demand streaming service within Rakuten's services group family, offering thousands of hours of high-quality movies and TV series for a subscription (in Spain), rental, and purchase. Cristian Liarte, Head of Original Content at Rakuten TV, described the company's strategy and emphasized the importance of original content.

▸  How would you describe Rakuten TV's strategy?

"Rakuten TV is currently present in 43 European countries, with around 140 million households throughout Europe, thanks to our agreements with the main TV manufacturer's brands. Within Rakuten TV you find, on the one hand, an offer of Hollywood blockbusters in the TVOD part, where people can rent or buy movies, and, on the other hand, the AVOD and FAST part, where you can find the entire free catalog of movies, TV series, and channels served with advertising. That AVOD service is where our original productions are. Initially, we had a catalog quite focused on the world of cinema, but over the years, we have managed to consolidate a vast catalog in which you can find fiction, non-fiction, documentaries, entertainment, sports, musicals, news, and more. We cover as wide an offer as possible, with original programming and third-party content, always free of charge."

▸  What target is the company aiming at?

"In general, our target is family, people from 35 to 50 years old, urban cinema lovers, and super connected. Digital people who like to enjoy content. That is an audience of high commercial value because it can either pay for a Hollywood premiere or watch free content. That is an interesting target for clients who advertise in our AVOD service. Our target also varies according to the kind of service that our users need: TVOD, AVOD, and FAST have different profiles of users that look for different kinds of content at different moments, but they can ultimately jump from one business model to the other once they enter the platform."

▸  What value does Rakuten TV place on original content?

"Originals are our way of telling the world what we are as a company. Our company's values as a brand are empowerment, innovation, optimism, and diversity. Users who watch our original productions will find feel-good stories. We seek that when people finish watching one of our originals, they are entertained and have something to think about. At the end of the day, our originals are the jewel in our crown, who we are, our image as a company, and what sets us apart."

▸  Which production models are more appealing to the company?

"With the new platforms that emerged on the market and disrupted it, co-production generates opportunities to streamline the business and produce more for less. We are European but Spanish-speaking, which opens many doors for us in Latin America and gives us many opportunities to co-produce on this territory. At a time of economic recession like the one we are currently experiencing, co-production is a great way to continue producing high-caliber titles."

▸  Do you notice any particular trend in terms of consumption?

"Being a technology company that comes from the world of e-commerce, where data is vital, we always keep an eye on the data: what is consumed, when, and how. It is vital to be able to give that information about the users to the producers we work with. On the other hand, regarding our business model, we are a platform with advertising in which the most important clients, after the audience, are our advertisers. We even open the game for them to be part of it. We want to co-produce with advertisers, create content with them using clever models."

By Federico Marzullo