Rakuten Advertising to Serve as Exclusive Ad-Seller for Rakuten TV’s New AVOD Service in Europe

Nissan signs on as “Founding Partner,” advertising on first-of-its-kind ad-supported video-on-demand service in Europe

Rakuten Advertising will be the exclusive advertising seller for the new ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) service in Europe of Rakuten TV, the first pan-European VOD platform providing ad-supported channels offering Hollywood, local and exclusive content for free. As a Founding Partner, global automaker Nissan has signed on to connect with and reach customers through the Rakuten TV platform.

Rakuten TV announced the new AVOD service on October 15th, launching with an initial offer that includes Hollywood and local content. This will be expanded upon in the coming months in a combined linear and on-demand offer, including exclusive Rakuten content, TV series, documentary series, news and sports channels. 

Expanding its business model, Rakuten TV is the first platform combining transactional-based video-on-demand (TVOD) and AVOD products across all Europe, meeting the changing needs of viewers. The free, ad-supported channels will enrich the original proposition of Rakuten TV – Your Cinema at Home – offering Smart TV viewers the best cinematic experience with the latest new releases in the best audio–visual quality.m

With the arrival of the new Nissan JUKE, a pioneer in urban crossovers, Nissan continues to innovate in France, making the company a prime partner for this new Rakuten TV launch. As a privileged partner of the launch of Rakuten TV’s very first AVOD offer, Nissan FRANCE will be bold and use the platform for the launch campaign of the JUKE, its coupe crossover:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMkkFxNO_eE&feature=youtu.be 

Coralie Musy, Marketing Direct of Nissan in France, explains: “More technologically advanced and better connected than ever, the new Nissan JUKE supports our digital launch strategy. This new, innovative video offer perfectly matches the position of our urban crossover. It is a privileged space for an advertiser looking for innovative targeting possibilities.”

Among the exclusive content, Rakuten TV will present on its AVOD channel is Matchday – Inside FC Barcelona. The new documentary series is about FC Barcelona from the inside, offering previously unseen and exclusive scenes from the players’ private lives. Narrated by John Malkovich, Matchday – Inside FC Barcelona is a creation of Barça Studios, FC Barcelona’s own production house, in collaboration with Kosmos Studios, Rakuten, Inc. in association with Rakuten H Collective Studio and Producciones del Barrio. Rakuten Viber, Rakuten’s instant messaging service, will also participate in the project, leveraging its community of 2 million Barça fans to promote “Matchday.

Nick Stamos, Rakuten Advertising CEO, stated: “Video on demand is quickly emerging as a powerful media channel, and Rakuten TV presents a singular opportunity for our clients to reach a highly engaged pan-European audience. We strive to be the first to offer advertisers new products and audiences, and are proud to bring this ground–breaking advertising opportunity across the Continent.” 

Rakuten TV content will be just a click away for over 30 million households across Europe, thanks to the presence of a remote–control button providing direct access to the app on major Smart TVs. The Rakuten TV platform will utilise industry-leading Nielsen as the data partner (DMP-data management platform) to target advertisements at a digital level 

Rakuten TV’s AVOD solution was announced during MipCom 2019, where Founder & CEO of Rakuten TV, Jacinto Roca, spoke about the evolution of the AVOD industry with other entertainment leaders during the conference AVOD on the rise.