Rakuten TV Debuts New FAST Channels

Rakuten TV has launched two new FAST channels in various territories, including the reality and factual entertainment channel Real.

Real debuted in the U.K. earlier this month with a lineup featuring shows such as the culinary bootcamp series Worst Cooks in America, the Paris Hilton reality show My New BFF and the Emmy-winning reality series Undercover Boss.

Rakuten TV also debuted the Crime channel in Italy, with more launches planned in the following months. Its lineup will vary depending on each market. In Italy, it features the British detective series Wallander, as well as the Golden Globe-nominated Boss. In France, it will be the home of shows such as Alerta Cobra 11 and Un Flic.

The Real and Crime channels are available on the Rakuten TV platform and on Samsung’s TV Plus service. They will be added to more FAST platforms in the future.

“FAST and AVOD currently represent a significant portion of our business, with healthy double digit YoY growth,” said Cedric Dufour, CEO of Rakuten TV. “This is a result of both our CTV Ad Sales expertise through our sister company Rakuten Advertising, but also due to locally relevant and top-notch quality content being offered for free to millions of our users.”

“Aside from our FAST channels lineup and the Rakuten TV originals being offered to all 43 countries in Europe, we will also continue to invest in original productions, due to their exclusive appeal and strong engagement with new users,” Dufour added.