Rakuten TV Launches STARZPLAY Subscription Service And Includes An Exclusive Line-Up Of Premium Programs
STARZPLAY will provide an exclusive line-up of premium programming including The Great, the upcoming genre-bending series from Oscar®-nominated writer Tony McNamara
Rakuten TV announced today the launch of a new SVOD service within the platform, STARZPLAY; the international premium streaming service from STARZ that offers exclusive access to original series, acclaimed acquired content and a blockbuster movie library featuring thousands of titles. This exciting partnership consolidates Rakuten TV’s growth across Europe, with its recent launches of other third-party channels, allowing users to find a wide range of entertainment content just one click away. STARZPLAY, will now be accessible to millions of households in Europe thanks to the Rakuten TV pre-installed app on Smart TVs and its branded remote control across the main TV manufacturers, allowing users direct access to the platform.
Rakuten TV users from Spain, UK, Italy, France and Germany will now have the chance to enjoy this new premium SVOD service, starting with a free trial and subscribing to the service for only £4.99 a month. The content will be available within the Rakuten TV app on Smart TVs, web and mobile devices.
STARZPLAY will provide Rakuten TV users with access to an exclusive line-up of premium programming of movies and TV series, including The Great; the upcoming genre-bending series from Oscar®-nominated writer Tony McNamara (The Favourite), starring Elle Fanning (Maleficent, Mary Shelley) and Nicholas Hoult (X-Men, Tolkien), which premieres on June 18th across the streaming service. The series is a satirical, comedic drama about the rise of Catherine the Great from outsider to the longest reigning female ruler in Russia's history and is aimed to be one of the surprises of the season.
At launch, the new gritty crime series from Jerry Bruckheimer, Hightown, will be available on the platform, and subscribers can look forward to the highly-anticipated Starz Original series Power Book II: Ghost starring Oscar®-nominee Mary J. Blige. Additionally, curated content such as psychological horror series Castle Rock from Stephen King and J.J. Abrams starring Lizzy Caplan and Oscar®-winner Tim Robbins, award-winning comedy-drama series Ramy and The Act starring Academy Award® Winner Patricia Arquette and Joey King will be other highlighted titles on Rakuten TV.
Teresa López, European Content Director at Rakuten TV, said “STARZPLAY will allow us to enrich our current proposition providing an always more varied and extensive offer within the platform, we are very excited about this new launch. At Rakuten TV we are eager to continue reinforcing our content offer in order to provide the best quality content and a complete experience to our users just one click away.”
“This multi-territory partnership creates an exciting opportunity for STARZPLAY to expand our reach in the marketplace and introduce new audiences to our vast library of compelling series and films,” said Superna Kalle, Executive Vice President, International Digital Networks for Starz. “We look forward to deepening our relationship with European viewers through Rakuten TV who shares our commitment to providing audiences with premium content paired with a user-friendly experience.”
About Rakuten TV
Rakuten TV is the first Video On-Demand platform in Europe combining TVOD (Transactional video-on-demand), AVOD (Advertising video-on-demand) and SVOD (Subscription video-on-demand) services, providing users a universe of content just one click away. While Rakuten TV´s TVOD service provides a true cinematic experience with the latest new releases, the AVOD service offers a range of thematic channels for free, including Movies, Euronews, Kids TV, Viki, Documentaries and Rakuten Stories - a channel embodying Rakuten TV´s original and exclusive content. On the subscription side, the platform provides the international SVOD service, STARZPLAY, as a premium content provider of movies and TV series.
Rakuten TV is available in 42 European territories and forms part of Rakuten, Inc., one of the world’s leading internet services companies, offering a wide variety of services for consumers and businesses, with a focus on e-commerce, fintech and digital content. Rakuten, headquartered in Japan, is also known for its partnerships with FC Barcelona, the NBA, the Golden State Warriors, Davis Cup and Spartan Race.
Twitter: @RakutenTV
About STARZPLAY
Starz continues to grow its global footprint with its ongoing expansion of the STARZPLAY international premium streaming platform in a growing number of territories. The STARZPLAY premium streaming service gives subscribers the opportunity to watch STARZ premium content all in one place, with upcoming STARZ Originals airing exclusively on STARZPLAY day-and-date with the US. Available through its own direct to consumer STARZPLAY app, global digital broadcast services, multi-channel video distributors, telecommunications companies and other online and digital platforms, STARZPLAY offers subscribers access to STARZ Original series, premium movies and curated content focused on a global audience. STARZPLAY is currently available through its DTC app in Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Spain and the UK; in Europe, Latin America and Japan on Apple TV, in France, Germany, Mexico and the UK on Amazon Prime Video channels, in the UK, Germany, Spain, France and Italy oh Rakuten, in Brazil, Mexico and the UK through Roku streaming devices and on the following local platforms: in France on Orange, in Mexico on izzi and Totalplay; in Spain on Orange and Vodafone; in the UK on Virgin Media; as Lionsgate Play in India and as Starz in Canada in alliance with Bell Media.
No Comment