The platform of Spanish origin that is three in one

In 2010, Wuaki.tv was one of the pioneers launching into a market that was yet to be explored in Spain at the time: offering content on demand, an online video store when Netflix had not yet come to the Peninsula.

In 2012, the Japanese company Rakuten acquired the platform, which subsequently changed its name and its offer and extension grew.

In a panorama of overabundance of platforms, Rakuten TV, now present in 43 countries, boasts of being something like a three-in-one: it maintains its original character with its offer of movies to rent and buy

;

it offers subscription-based content and, finally, it has an increasingly wide range of free programs and movies with ads, both on-demand and on linear channels.

“We are the only platform in Europe that offers all the ways to consume content”, summarizes Cédric Dufour (Lyon, 50 years old), who in October 2021 took over from Jacinto Roca, co-founder of Wuaki, as CEO of Rakuten TV .

In the little more than a year that he has been in charge of the platform, Dufour has seen how it has grown, especially its free aspect with ads: "It is the fastest growing market in all of Europe."

Once again, they were among the first to offer this possibility of internet television in Spain and it has been part of their offer since 2019. In 2022, Rakuten TV obtained more revenue from advertising on channels and free on-demand content for the first time than for your offer of payment.

More information

Free and ad-supported digital platforms: the other contenders in the 'streaming' war call for passage

Among the objectives that this platform has in the short term is to achieve sustainable growth and be profitable.

“We have to focus not on doing a thousand things, but on the most important things.

We must build a sustainable and achievable model that we have not built yet.

There are several stages in the life of a company, sometimes the priority is to invest a lot and other times you have to focus on sustainability, and that is where we are now, ”he says in an interview from Paris by video call.

To achieve profitability, Dufour proposes to focus on key projects.

“One of the interesting things about this industry, which I didn't know about a year ago, is that it evolves a lot.

Before, the studios were our suppliers and now they are also competitors, because they have their own platforms.

television manufacturers,

who are our partners, now they also compete because they get more and more involved in the content.

The strength we have is that we are quite small if we compare ourselves with the market giants and, therefore, we are more agile", defends the executive.

A screenshot from the Rakuten TV website.

The differentiating feature of Rakuten TV, that three-in-one content consumption option, allows them to have the latest movie releases before they are available on other platforms and, on the same website, offer news channels or classic series , and all available on any device.

“A challenge we have is that, since there is a huge amount of content, we must facilitate and help users to find what they want to see at all times.

In 2023 we want to simplify the way of presenting the offer”, acknowledges Dufour about a problem shared with other platforms in the era of peak television production.

"It's a challenge for the industry, there are many people who are lost because they pay a subscription but they can't find the movie they want to see."

For it,

The platform is present in 140 million homes in Europe thanks to the agreements they have with television manufacturers so that the button to directly access the platform appears on their remote controls.

Furthermore, its app is positioned on the homepage of smart TVs and its ad-supported free channels are included on other platforms.

“We have accompanied the growth of

in Europe”, defends Dufour.

Also noteworthy is the commitment to own production —focused above all on the sports field, such as

,

,

or

—, but which has also opened the range to documentaries about innovations in the world such as

or the

adventure

.

In 2023 they will continue exploring a path that has already given them good results, such as the repercussion and good comments that the documentary with Ona Carbonell about her motherhood garnered.

An image from the documentary series 'Fast Forward' provided by Rakuten TV.

Although they do not provide data on users or subscribers in Spain, their manager assures that the free aspect with advertising grew between 30 and 40% last year and that they have started 2023 with a growth of 70%.

That will be their main focus for this year, in addition to adding new agreements such as the one they have with Orange, the company for which Rakuten TV manages its online video store.

Video on demand and free digital linear channels with ads are one of the big trends in the United States that is spreading to other countries and has reached Spain with force.

“People get tired of paying a lot of subscriptions that they don't use enough.

The only difference in Europe with the United States is that there is already quality free content here and that is why its integration is taking longer.

That is why it is important that we work on the quality of the content in this modality, it is not enough to offer free content if there is no quality”, defends Dufour, who also ensures that advertisers are transferring from traditional television to connected television .

“There is a certain public that does not watch traditional television, uses

and television on the internet, and if advertisers want to reach these people, they have to do it through connected television”.

An image of the filming of the documentary 'My decision, by Andrés Iniesta' provided by Rakuten TV.

To survive in the war of the platforms, Dufour is clear that three key points are necessary: ​​have a relevant differentiation, which in his case is the possibility of accessing the content in different ways;

secondly, to have a recognizable brand, for which they have been sponsors of FC Barcelona, ​​the Davis Cup and other sports events and teams;

and thirdly, a good quality of content and user experience.

According to Dufour, Rakuten TV meets the three conditions and the advantage of being smaller compared to giants that find it more difficult to maneuver in a constantly changing industry that does not allow long-term plans to be made.

You can follow EL PAÍS TELEVISIÓN on