Med.TV now available on Rakuten streaming platform
The partnership expands the Malta-based TV programming across Europe
Med.TV has announced it is now available on Rakuten TV, Europe’s leading FAST TV platform, bringing the Malta-based channel’s Mediterranean programming to a wider audience across key European markets.
The partnership, signed earlier this month, strengthens Med.TV’s mission to make the Mediterranean “closer than ever” by giving viewers easier access to content exploring the region’s cultures, cuisine, business, and lifestyle, available anytime, for free.
Med.TV is the first station of its kind to focus exclusively on Mediterranean culture, lifestyle, and business. It also marks a first for Malta, becoming the country’s first broadcaster to obtain a satellite licence, enabling the channel to beam its content to more than 160 million households across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.
Through Rakuten TV, Med.TV can now be watched across the UK, Ireland, the Nordics, Spain, Italy, and Malta, broadening the channel’s reach in new markets.
Rakuten TV’s distribution footprint adds significant scale to Med.TV’s availability. The platform is present on 150 million TVs worldwide, with 71 million remote controls featuring the Rakuten button, and 89% of its users viewing via Connected TV (CTV).
These figures position the launch as a meaningful step for Med.TV as it continues to grow its audience on streaming, where viewer engagement and premium viewing environments are typically strongest.
The Rakuten TV launch also comes at a time when brands are increasingly prioritising FAST and CTV as part of their media strategies.
Anton Tabone, chairman of Med.TV said the agreement with Rakuten signified an important step for the Malta-born station.
“By launching on Rakuten TV, the leading FAST TV platform in Europe, we are making our content even easier to discover and enjoy for free,” he said. “Rakuten TV’s strong Connected TV reach across markets such as the UK, Ireland, the Nordics, Spain, Italy and Malta makes this an important step in our growth, and a great opportunity for partners and brands to connect with a highly engaged audience.
”With Med.TV now carried on one of Europe’s most established FAST platforms, Tabone said advertisers and partners have an opportunity to connect with a highly engaged audience in a context aligned with lifestyle, travel, gastronomy, culture, and Mediterranean-led storytelling.
The Rakuten announcement comes hot on the heels of a separate agreement between Arts Council Malta, Med.TV and Malta’s Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) for a three-year partnership to bring Maltese culture to a broad international audience.
Med.TV secured approval from the Broadcasting Authority to begin transmitting last year and subsequently signed a national distribution agreement with GO.
Since then it has continued to expand its footprint through a combination of strategic distribution partnerships and original programming, positioning the channel for further growth across Europe and beyond.