Rakuten TV partners with Pilot WP for Polish movie store

Rakuten TV has announced a partnership with Polish streaming service Pilot WP to launch an online movie store. This new service will offer popular Hollywood films like "Anora," "Wicked," and "Conclave," along with various local movies. The store will be co-branded and made available to Pilot WP users in Poland. Pilot WP is a subsidiary of Audioteka, part of the broader Polish media company, Wirtualna Polska. Jagna Wiszniewska, the Vice President of Content at Audioteka, stated that this partnership marks a new chapter in providing access to high-quality films, from recent cinema releases to classic favorites. Rakuten TV started as a transactional video-on-demand (TVOD) service before expanding into ad-supported streaming. Marcos Milanez, Chief Content Officer at Rakuten TV, explained that the company aims to differentiate itself in the competitive streaming market by offering various viewing options—such as buying, renting, or watching free with ads. He emphasized the importance of providing quality content that is relevant to local audiences. Rakuten TV has also introduced an enterprise model, allowing it to collaborate with other companies to create channels and services. Milanez noted that while TVOD remains stable, ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) and free ad-supported streaming (FAST) channels are growing rapidly. FAST channels have seen significant adoption since Rakuten TV launched its first offerings in 2019. Milanez pointed out that many platforms rushed to expand their FAST channels. However, Rakuten TV took a more measured approach, focusing on quality over quantity. He concluded that while the U.S. FAST market is more mature, the European sector still has substantial growth potential.