Japan’s Rakuten Plots Ambitions With Original Entertainment Offerings

According to Nikkei Asian Review, it looks to double its advertising revenue in 2018 to US$1.88b by 2021 as it is poised to produce TV commercials based on scenes from Rakuten movies.

The Rakuten H Collective Studio collaboration, which was first announced at the start of August, also aims to benefit its other business units such as retail, television, telco and travel.  In the news report, Rakuten’s group executive VP Makoto Arima explained that the intellectual property (IP) created by the studio will create a “significant impact” in expanding the company’s ecosystem. He added that Rakuten aims to distribute the movies produced by the studio globally, including adapting IP into merchandise that can be sold at its online marketplace.

Unsurprisingly, the company’s slate of original content in the pipeline will be added to its video platform Rakuten TV. It also plans to roll out its own 5G mobile network next year and aims to tap on its growing exclusive original entertainment content offerings to acquire new customers for the service. Rakuten Travel, on the other hand, plans to offer tours to locations featured in the movies.

Earlier this month, Rakuten said the partnership is a move to contribute to the “revitalisation of the entertainment industry around the world”. Meanwhile, in Indonesia, Gojek has similar ambitions as it plunges into the entertainment industry.