Rakuten TV in 2025: A Year of Stories, Scale, and Momentum Across Europe
Below is a look at a few of the moments that defined 2025, across every corner of our platform.
As Europe’s original connected TV specialists, Rakuten TV continued to strengthen its role in the streaming ecosystem throughout 2025. From expanding our FAST footprint to elevating AVOD quality, growing our TVOD offer, and deepening our presence across devices and operators, this year marked a step-change in how we help audiences discover content, and how we help content owners, advertisers, and telcos unlock more value.
FAST: Expanding Reach, Elevating Discovery, Powering Partners
A New Era of FAST Promotion with Billboard Placement
Early this year, Rakuten TV introduced Billboard placement for FAST channels: a premium visual format designed to boost content discovery and drive performance for both brands and content partners.
For instance, our first billboard campaigns with our channel partner VEVO during San Remo fest and NTD TV delivered strong engagement and helped accelerate their European footprint, soon followed by partners like Euronews and CGTN, with more to come. These media investments enable our channel partners to extend the impact of their marketing budgets and boost their channel visibility and performance on our platform, while helping drive revenue growth.
New O&O Channels for Europe’s Viewers
In 2025, we’ve significantly expanded our owned and operated FAST portfolio with new channels tailored to local markets and cultural appetite. Some of the highlights include:
- RTV Top Movies launched in Portugal
- RTV Sci-Fi expanded to France and Spain
- Reality & Romance in Ireland
- Thriller in the UK & Spain
Growing the Single-IP Universe
Rakuten TV continued to build value for studios and distributors through curated single-IP channels designed to maximise engagement. Some of the highlights include:
- Alerta Cobra, available in Italy and Spain
- Gipsy Kings, in Spain
- Abschnitt 40, extending our partnership in German-speaking markets
With these launches, Rakuten TV now operates over 120 O&O FAST channels, further reinforcing our leadership in the European FAST space.
New FAST Channels from Content Owners
In addition to the 170 third-party channels launched on Rakuten TV in 2025, this year also saw the launches of exciting channels built by Rakuten TV Enterprise for our content partners, including:
- Reframed’s Cesar’s Pack Leader TV in UK, Nordics and Netherlands
- Rive Gauche’s Aftershock Real Crime and Aftershock My Strange Addiction in UK, Nordics and Netherlands
- ACE’s Shark TV in France
These launches highlight Rakuten TV’s ability to support partners end to end, from channel creation and packaging to distribution and monetisation, helping content owners unlock new value from their catalogues with a FAST strategy tailored to European audiences.
Strengthening Studio Partnerships Across Europe
We welcomed new collaborations with major and boutique studios alike, including Mattel across Europe and expanded partnerships with DeAPlaneta, Planeta Junior in Spain, and Eagle Pictures in Italy.
This growth reflects our commitment to sourcing high-quality content while supporting local studios with meaningful distribution and monetisation.
AVOD: A More Premium Experience Than Ever with 4K
For the first time, Rakuten TV introduced 4K content within the AVOD catalogue, raising the bar for free streaming in Europe and offering advertisers a higher-quality environment to reach audiences.
TVOD: The Biggest Movies, Right When Audiences Want Them
Throughout 2025, our TVOD store continued to bring the year’s biggest theatrical titles directly to European homes, offering a consistent pipeline of premium film releases. These tentpole moments strengthen the value of the overall platform by keeping audiences engaged and returning. 
Distribution: Scaling Access Across Europe’s Devices and Operators
More Platforms, More Homes
Rakuten TV expanded availability across key European platforms, launching on TCL and Netgem in 2025, a step forward in making our content available wherever viewers are.
A Major New Partnerships with Virgin TV UK & Free Ciné FR
Our app became available on Virgin TV in the United Kingdom, significantly expanding reach across one of Europe’s most competitive households.
This December, we also launched our flagship FAST channels alongside over 100 hours of curated on-demand films on Free Ciné, leading telecom provider in France.
In Poland, we also partnered with Pilot WP to power its TVOD store, bringing Rakuten TV’s premium transactional catalogue to one of the country’s leading digital platforms and extending our reach in Central and Eastern Europe.
For TV operators, Rakuten TV offers a proven content layer that deepens user engagement and enhances service value through a broad mix of AVOD, FAST, and TVOD.
Building a Stronger Streaming Landscape for All
Across AVOD, FAST, TVOD, and distribution, Rakuten TV’s 2025 milestones share one common goal: To help audiences discover great stories and help partners unlock greater opportunity.
- For content owners: We deliver scale, curation, and monetisation across one of Europe’s largest CTV footprints.
- For advertisers: We offer incremental reach, premium inventory, and high-performing, brand-safe environments.
- For TV operators: We provide a diverse content offering that enhances platform stickiness and boosts engagement.
And for viewers, we continue to expand the stories they can enjoy with just one click.