Question 1

Which countries does Rakuten TV Europe support?

Accepted Answer

Rakuten TV Europe uses a large-whitelist model covering 43 European countries — one of the broadest of any video platform on this site — spanning the Western-European core, Nordics + Iceland, CEE, Balkans, Baltics + Ukraine. Each country's TVOD library is licensed independently (France / Spain / Italy / Germany / UK are the top markets). Stable since the 2019-03 bulk expansion of 30+ countries, no recent expansion plans. Non-European regions (US / CA / JP / CN / AU etc.) are not supported. Suppo

Question 2

How are Rakuten TV Europe, Rakuten TV Japan, and Rakuten Viki related?

Accepted Answer

All three belong to the Rakuten Group but are three completely independent products — domains, accounts, apps, content, pricing, and legal entities don't interop. Think of them as the 「Rakuten trio」, each covering a different geography and content focus. 🇪🇺 Rakuten TV Europe (this page — rakuten.tv) — Rakuten TV Europe SL, Barcelona HQ. 43 European countries, TVOD + AVOD + FAST + SVOD hybrid. Originated from Wuaki.tv (Spain, 2010), renamed 2017. Known for the dedicated Smart TV remote button rea

Question 3

Why is Rakuten TV Europe not available in Japan / China / Russia / US?

Accepted Answer

Rakuten TV Europe is Europe-exclusive by design — licensing is negotiated for the 43 European countries; non-European regions are never launched. Even within Europe, each country's TVOD library is licensed independently, so a film available in France may be absent in Italy. 🇯🇵 Japanese users → Rakuten TV Japan (rakuten-tv.co.jp, separate product, run directly by Rakuten Group Inc., accounts don't interop); 🇷🇺 Russia has never been covered (post-2022 European licensing is strict); 🇨🇳 Mainland Chi

Question 4

VPN'd to a European node but Rakuten TV still says "not available in your country" — what to do?

Accepted Answer

Three most common causes: ① Your VPN IP is blacklisted — cheap VPN datacenter / shared IPs are most likely to hit this (ReviewsFire confirms Rakuten TV blocks commercial-VPN ASNs). Fix: switch nodes, prefer European residential-proxy or premium-VPN residential-IP services. ② Cookie location history — Rakuten TV uses cookies to track location. Even after VPN'ing into Europe, old cookies still flag anomalies. Fix: clear all rakuten.tv cookies (or use incognito); verify Settings > Profile > Active

Question 5

Mobile app doesn't work with VPN, but desktop does?

Accepted Answer

This is a mobile-specific Rakuten TV Europe behaviour — the app uses GPS + IP dual detection, while desktop only checks IP. Even if your VPN puts your IP in the US, if your phone's GPS shows you're in China / SE Asia / Europe (non-whitelist), the app will refuse to play. 📱 Fix:

Question 6

Free tier vs TVOD vs SVOD — which is right for me?

Accepted Answer

Rakuten TV Europe blends 4 commercial models — each fits a different use case: 🆓 AVOD (ad-supported free VOD) — 10,000+ free movies / shows, no subscription, requires account. ~2-4 min ads/hour. Best for: casual viewing. 📺 FAST (free linear channels) — 500+ live channels (including 100+ Rakuten O&O), no login required. Best for: those wanting a traditional TV feel, and as a quick check that your VPN node actually works.

Question 7

Does Rakuten TV Europe support 4K? Quality and pricing?

Accepted Answer

Rakuten TV Europe's high-value TVOD new releases support 4K UHD + HDR (Dolby Vision / Atmos on select titles) — a clear differentiator vs many local OTTs. Non-TVOD content (AVOD / FAST / SVOD) is mostly 1080p or lower; Web browsers cap at 720p via Widevine L3. TVOD rentals run €3.99-5.99, purchases €9.99-16.99 (varies by country). SVOD monthly pricing varies by country (typically €4.99-6.99/mo in DE / ES / IT / FR). AVOD is free; FAST channels are free with no signup. Industry-standard 5 concurr

Question 8

Can I keep using it while travelling across Europe? What is Active Country?

Accepted Answer

✈️ Yes — EU regulation 2017/1128 (content portability) explicitly protects this. If you subscribed in one EU country (say France) with Active Country = FR and you travel to another EU member state (Spain, Germany, Italy, etc.), you can continue accessing your home-country library (typically 30 days per trip or 30-45 cumulative days). Rakuten TV Europe honours this regulation. 🌍 Active Country is an account-level mechanism, not a simple IP check.

Rakuten TV Europe Unlock Check

FAQ

More Streaming Checks