By Jonathan Easton

Rakuten TV has announced a deal with Alchimie to increase its portfolio of free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels.

The deal will start with eight channels made available in multiple territories across Rakuten TV’s 42 country reach.

The channels encompassed by the deal include:  HUMANITY, Luxe TV, MMA TV, Big Names, Motorsport TV, Télézap, Explore by TVPlayer and Krime. More channels are promised to launch on Rakuten TV in the near future.

Rakuten TV linear channels are currently accessible for free on the Rakuten TV app on Samsung and LG Smart TV devices.

Head of Content at Rakuten TV, Teresa López, said: “Partnering with Alchimie is another milestone in our European expansion and reinforces our commitment to deliver localised and relevant content to all audiences. Thanks to Alchimie’s wide variety of content, our line-up expands, providing a broad range of choices for all tastes, from culinary to sports or documentaries”.

CEO at Alchimie, Nicolas d’HUEPPE said: “We’re very pleased that Rakuten TV has chosen Alchimie as a content partner across Europe. Our vast content library contains a range of premium programming in multiple languages, so Alchimie is in an excellent position to provide RakutenTV with entertaining themed channels across Europe with regularly refreshed, high-quality content in local languages.”