Rakuten TV

Last updated
Rakuten TV
Company type Subsidiary
Industry Electronic commerce
Founded2010
Founders Jacinto Roca, Josep Mitjà
Headquarters,
Japan and Spain
Area served
Asia: Japan
Europe: Aaland Islands, Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and Ukraine
Key people
Jacinto Roca (CEO)
Josep Mitjà (COO)
Nikhil Deora (CSO)
David Villanueva Cabezas (CTO)
Products Video on demand films and tv series, TV channels
Number of employees
200
Parent Rakuten
Website Rakuten TV

Rakuten TV is a video-on-demand (VOD) and free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) platform, providing movies and TV series for subscription, rental, and purchase as well as FAST channels with a mix of local and global content. [1] Since 2019, the platform has provided users access to different content via TVOD, AVOD, [2] SVOD, [3] and FAST. [4] It is owned by the Japanese company, Rakuten.

Contents

Rakuten TV's VOD catalogue includes content from studios around the world, including Warner Bros., Disney, and Sony Pictures, local distributors, and independent labels producing both locally and globally oriented content. Similarly, Rakuten TV's distribution of FAST channels includes both its own Rakuten curated channels as well as FAST channels and TV channels operated and curated by its partners around the world. [5] Rakuten TV's content can be streamed from most devices, offering a similar service to Netflix and other streaming services. [6] [7] [8] [9]

The company is headquartered in Tokyo and Barcelona and currently operates in Japan as well as several countries around Europe; Aaland Islands, Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and Ukraine. [10]

In Japan, the video streaming service Rakuten SHOWTIME changed its name to Rakuten TV on July 1, 2017 and has been operating under the new name since then.

Rakuten also operates another global video-on-demand (VOD) streaming service called Rakuten Viki which is headquartered in San Mateo, California with additional offices in Tokyo, Japan, Seoul, South Korea, and Singapore. [11] Rakuten Viki focuses on distributing content from parts of Asia to the rest of the world. This includes drama, variety shows, and animation from Japan, Korea, Mainland China, Taiwan, and Thailand. [12]

History

In June 2012, Rakuten, the world's third largest e-commerce company, acquired the company, previously known as Wuaki.tv. [13] In July 2017, Wuaki.tv changed its name to Rakuten TV. Rakuten took over the user base from TalkTalk TV Store (previously Blinkbox) including migration of user purchased titles, in June 2018.

Rakuten Sports

On 11 June 2019, Rakuten announced the launch of Rakuten Sports, a new live streaming and video on demand (VOD) sports entertainment platform to expand and deliver sports content to several countries around the world, after eleven countries across Europe.

In November 2019, Rakuten Sports provides the subscription streaming coverage of Davis Cup for two seasons 2019 and 2020, also as the part of main sponsorship, starting from the 2019 finals. [14]

Related Research Articles

Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films without a traditional video playback device and a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of over-the-air programming was the most common form of media distribution. As Internet and IPTV technologies continued to develop in the 1990s, consumers began to gravitate towards non-traditional modes of content consumption, which culminated in the arrival of VOD on televisions and personal computers.

Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as television series and films, as over-the-top media service (OTT). Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air aerial systems, cable television, and/or satellite television systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internet Protocol television</span> Television transmitted over a computer network

Internet Protocol television (IPTV) is the delivery of television content over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. This is in contrast to delivery through traditional terrestrial, satellite, and cable television formats. Unlike downloaded media, IPTV offers the ability to stream the source media continuously. As a result, a client media player can begin playing the content almost immediately. This is known as streaming media.

Now is a subscription over-the-top streaming television service operated by British satellite television provider Sky Group and American cable provider Xfinity. Launched in the United Kingdom in 2012, the service is also available in Ireland, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the United States.

Zattoo is a TV platform which states that it can be used for IP-based transmission of television channels and video on demand content to different devices. The company headquarters are located in Zurich and it has an additional office in Berlin.

Motorsport.tv is a global streaming OTT platform specialized in motor racing and motoring content, live and on demand launched in September 2018. It is a fully integrated video ecosystem developed and operated by Motorsport Network to specifically cater to different motor racing and automotive audiences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">On Demand (Sky)</span> Video on demand services from Sky UK

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sky Go</span> Online television service

Sky Go is a streaming television service from Sky Group provided free for Sky TV subscribers in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It complements Sky TV by allowing subscribers to watch live and on demand Sky TV via an internet connection on the go. The Sky Go app is available on Windows and Mac computers and also on Android and iOS devices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smart TV</span> TV set with integrated Internet features

A smart TV, also known as a connected TV (CTV), is a traditional television set with integrated Internet and interactive Web 2.0 features that allow users to stream music and videos, browse the internet, and view photos. Smart TVs are a technological convergence of computers, televisions, and digital media players. Besides the traditional functions of television sets provided through traditional broadcasting media, these devices can provide access to over-the-top media services such as streaming television and internet radio, along with home networking access.

Rakuten Viki is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It streams videos similar to other services, but also allows users to subtitle content available in 200 languages as well as providing original programming. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, it has offices in Singapore, Tokyo, Japan, and Seoul, South Korea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC First</span> International television channel owned by the BBC

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Razmig Hovaghimian</span> American entrepreneur

Razmig Hovaghimian is an American entrepreneur. He is co-founder and CEO of the international online streaming video site Viki, and senior executive officer of global content, board observer and Entrepreneur in residence at Japanese ecommerce company Rakuten. He is also a co-founder and board member of non-profit neonatal health company Embrace. He also founded Hoodline, formerly Ripple News, a hyper-local, automated data newswire later acquired by social media neighborhood site Nextdoor.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pluto TV</span> Internet-based TV platform

Pluto TV is a free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service owned and operated by the Paramount Streaming division of Paramount Global.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BritBox</span> Internet media streaming and video on demand service broadcasting British TV

BritBox is an online digital video subscription service, founded by BBC Studios and ITV, operating in nine countries across North America, Europe, Australia and South Africa. It is focused on British television series and films, mainly featuring current and past series and films supplied from two British terrestrial broadcasters of the BBC and ITV, in addition to original programming. BritBox is said to feature the biggest collection of British box sets available in one place, with additional original programming available from 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sky Switzerland</span> Swiss pay-TV provider

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SPI International is an international media company based in the Netherlands. It is owned by Canal+ Group. It operates 42 TV channels, multiple digital products across six continents, and is a major player in content distribution and broadcasting worldwide.

TAP Digital Media Ventures Corporation is a Philippine media and entertainment company which oversees the operations of its 24-hour linear television channels and a digital over-the-top media service. It is founded by Renen and Celinda De Guia and former Solar Entertainment Corporation chief operating officer Peter Chan Liong.

Shahid is an Arabic content streaming platform operated by the Saudi state-owned MBC Group.

Free advertising supported streaming television (FAST) is a category of streaming television services, akin to linear or cable TV, represented by platforms such as Pluto TV, Rakuten TV, The Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus, Tubi, and Xumo. These services offer traditional television programming and studio-produced movies without a paid subscription, funded exclusively by advertising. They stand apart from platforms predominantly featuring user-generated content, as well as from subscription-based ad-supported services.

References

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  2. "Rakuten TV teaming up with advertisers as coproduction partners". C21media. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  3. "Rakuten TV launches channels on Plex". Broadband TV News. 2022-06-15. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  4. "Rakuten TV expands FAST channel reach". Broadband TV News. 2022-04-20. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  5. "Live Channels - Rakuten TV". Rakuten TV. April 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  6. Woods, Ben (28 May 2014). "Wuaki.Tv Is Now Available to Stream on Chromecast in the UK". The Next Web. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
  7. "Wuaki.tv streaming service now available on Xbox 360, £2.99 a month for life offer still on - Pocket-lint". www.pocket-lint.com. 5 September 2013. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
  8. "Wuaki.tv video service gets Android, iPad app support in UK". Engadget. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
  9. "Wuaki launches new 4K smart TV app » Digital TV Europe". www.digitaltveurope.net. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
  10. "Submit a request - Help Rakuten.TV". Rakuten TV Europe. April 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  11. Viki Office Tour - Coolest Places in Singapore: Episode 1 (January 28). 2014. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved December 3, 2015 via YouTube.
  12. "Distribution Partners - Rakuten Viki". Rakuten Viki. April 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  13. Wauters, Robin (13 June 2012). "Rakuten Acquires Spanish Video-On-Demand Company Wuaki.tv". The Next Web. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
  14. "Davis Cup by Rakuten Madrid Finals to be broadcast in more than 171 countries". Davis Cup . 2019-11-07. Archived from the original on 2020-07-31. Retrieved 2019-11-15.