Rakuten TV launches new exclusive Severiano Ballesteros doc ‘Seve’

Buzz, Film

Rakuten TV, one of Europe’s leading VOD platforms, today announced the launch of new documentary SEVE, which chronicles the life of the legendary golfer, Severiano Ballesteros. SEVE will be available for free exclusively on Rakuten TV from Friday 24th September.

SEVE explores the life of Ballesteros from his humble beginnings to becoming one of the greatest sporting icons of all time. From learning the game on the beaches of Cantabria in Spain, to becoming one of the most decorated and celebrated golfers in the game’s history. A decade on from his tragic death, the landmark documentary focuses on Seve’s life both on and off the course, with testimonials from his family and fellow golfing heroes including José María Olazábal, Colin Montgomerie, Gary Player, Bernard Langer and Nick Faldo.

The 90-minute documentary, produced by ZigZag Productions in partnership with The R&A and Egoli Media, is the latest addition to the Rakuten Stories collection – available on-demand and as a linear channel – featuring Rakuten TV’s original and exclusive content. SEVE will be available on-demand from 24th September, landing on the Rakuten Stories channel on 30th September.

The Rakuten Stories channel is the home of original and exclusive content on Rakuten TV, featuring empowering stories that resonate with the company’s DNA. Inspiring viewers through the range of stories told through a sporting lens, the channel features multiple exclusive documentaries including Andrés Iniesta – The Unexpected Hero, BVB 09 – Stories who we are, Break Point: A Davis Cup Story, Ride Your Dream, The Secrets of La Roja, The Australian Dream, Inside Killian Jornet, Sadio Mané – Made in Senegal, Serge Ibaka – Anything is Possible, The Giants, and upcoming Ona Carbonell: Starting Over and Champions.

Furthermore, SEVE strengthens the sports-themed offering on the FREE service, consisting of original and third-party content, such as USGA Golf. Golf fans across Europe, who can already enjoy USGA Golf – the official channel of the United States Golf Association – will have a greater choice to witness and revisit the most memorable moments of the sport’s greatest icons.

Sports offering on Rakuten TV – which has proven to nurture a fan base and drive loyalty, with an average of 25% more users returning to watch channels compared to other categories – expands opportunities for advertisers to meaningfully connect with highly engaged audiences. Rakuten TV is part of Rakuten Advertising’s portfolio of advertising solutions for brands to reach unique and diverse audiences, leveraging extensive first party data and premium content to bring high impact ad experiences. Brands will benefit from unique discoverability and the potential of reaching more than 90 million households across Europe (through the on-demand and linear catalogue).

Rakuten TV’s FREE service includes AVOD (Advertising Video-on-Demand) and FAST (Free Advertising-based Streaming TV). The AVOD offer is accessible through the Rakuten TV app from a wide range of devices from leading manufacturers, including Smart TV (Samsung, LG, Panasonic, Philips, SONY, Hisense, etc.), smartphones and tablets (iOS and Android), and website. The linear channels of the FAST service are currently available on Samsung and LG Smart TV devices (starting 2019). Users can instantly launch the app with a single click through the branded remote-control button and the pre-installed app on selected Smart TV devices.