Rakuten TV has announced that it will enrich its FAST offering with the launch of WaterBear, the first premium free linear channel dedicated to the future of our planet.
The channel will be available on Rakuten TV from February 22 in the UK, Ireland, Nordics and Netherlands.
WaterBear was founded in 2021 as the first interactive streaming platform dedicated to the environment, featuring powerful stories from award-winning documentaries, enlightening short films and impactful series. Its offering mainly focuses on four key themes: biodiversity, climate, circularity and community.
Commenting on the launch, Oliver Taprogge, WaterBear’s VP of distribution, said: “WaterBear strives to tell stories about the SDGs and to transform them from words and icons into values that people can understand and appreciate.
“We are thrilled to be working with Rakuten TV on the distribution of WaterBear’s FAST channel. This collaboration enables an even bigger audience to have access to WaterBear’s impact-led content. We could not think of a better synergy as the cornerstone of our growing coalition of distribution partners”.
Cedric Dufour, CEO and president of Rakuten TV, added: “In our goal to bring the best entertainment to our viewers, we are very excited to launch the WaterBear channel and put sustainability under the spotlight.
“We are committed to offering our users great inspiring stories for their everyday life, and we know that WaterBear is a great partnership to make environmental issues available, for free, to over 140 million households across Europe”.
