Rakuten TV launches Nordic Films

This month, Rakuten TV, one of Europe’s leading streaming platforms, available in 43 European territories and reaching over 150 million households, has launched Nordic Films, a new branded, owned, and operated *FAST channel entirely dedicated to celebrating the finest in Nordic cinema.

This launch marks the first time a FAST channel has exclusively showcased Nordic films, offering audiences in Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark a curated selection of titles that embody the essence of the region’s storytelling and cinematic artistry.

Nordic Films aims to be “the ultimate destination for fans of Scandinavian movies,” states Rakuten’s official press release. The channel promises to offer “a wide range of genres” spanning “heart-warming family comedies and profound dramas to gripping crime thrillers and breath-taking adventures”.

The line-up includes films starring some of the most beloved Nordic actors, such as Mads Mikkelsen, Alexander Skarsgård, Joel Kinnaman, Josephine Bornebusch, Cecilia Frode, Malin Crépin, Rolf Lassgård, Michael Nyqvist,and Erik “Jerka” Johansson.

“We target a broad audience due to our diverse line-up of channels, which covers multiple genres, including films, series, documentaries, news, entertainment, sports, and kids,” Marcos Milanez, Chief Content Officer, Rakuten TV, tells NFTVF. “We believe we can offer appealing content to all our separate audience segments, and we are unique in our ability to offer audiences new releases straight from the cinema in our transactional offering, as well as a wide range of on-demand content and FAST channels - without subscription.”

Rakuten TV disclosed the network will initially feature approximately 70 hours of monthly programming. Some of the confirmed titles include Kåre Bergstrøm’s Lake of the Dead (De dødes tjern) and Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken’s Project Z (Prosjekt Z) from Norway; Daniel Lind Lagerlöf’s Breaking Out (Vägen ut), Daniel Alfredson’s Wolf (Varg), Beata Gårdeler’s In Your Veins (I skuggan av värmen), and Tarik Saleh’s Tommy from Sweden; Tuomas Summanen’s Risto and Aki Kaurismäki’s The Man Without a Past (Mies vailla menneisyyttä) from Finland); and Nicolas Winding Refn’s Bleeder and Carl Moberg’s A Thousand Hours (Tusind Timer) from Denmark.

The launch of Nordic Films underscores Rakuten TV’s strategic focus on local market relevance. By creating a dedicated channel for Scandi cinema, the platform addresses a unique gap, providing viewers with an exclusive showcase of Nordic films across a broad spectrum of genres.

Rakuten TV’s long-term plans focus on catering to diverse audience demands across its *TVOD, *AVOD, and FAST offerings. “Our vision is to deliver what matters to local audiences and meet the growing demand for a variety of entertainment content, whether through transactional offerings or free, ad-supported channels,” Milanez further explained.

When asked about plans for expansion beyond the Nordics and whether formats other than features are set to be aired, Milanez clarified that “the channel was developed with the intent to target the Nordic markets specifically,” ruling out plans for “broader expansion” and the addition of formats other than feature films to its programming.

Currently, Rakuten's TVOD pricing varies across the Nordic countries: from 39 SEK/NOK to 169 SEK/NOK per streamed title in Sweden and Norway, from 2.99 EUR to 16.99 EUR per streamed title in Finland, and from 39 DKK to 169 DKK in Denmark.

*FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV): A linear streaming model offering scheduled, channel-like content for free with ads, resembling traditional TV; examples include Pluto TV, RTL+ and Xumo.

*TVOD (Transactional Video On Demand): A pay-per-view streaming model where users rent or buy individual content, often for recent releases; platforms include Amazon Prime Video (rent/buy) and iTunes.

*AVOD (Advertising-Based Video On Demand): A streaming model where users watch content for free, supported by advertisements. Examples include ITVX, YouTube and Tubi.