The 166 new channels will be rolling out to April and May in 16 markets across Europe, including the UK, through Samsung’s TV Plus service.
There are already a number of channels from Rakuten TV available in the UK, Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Switzerland. So, while viewers in UK won’t see as many new arrivals as those in Sweden and the Netherlands, who have never enjoyed any of these channels before and get the full 166.
As part of the new barrage of channels, Rakuten is launching its own themed genres channels, from Rakuten Action, Rakuten Comedy, Drama, Spotlight, Rakuten Documentaries, and Family. There’s also Rakuten Movies and Rakuten Stories – a channel designed to bring Rakuten TV's original and exclusive content.
Other global channels, such as Africanews, Bloomberg TV, Bloomberg Quicktake, and Euronews, are also included in Samsung TV Plus service too.
According to the official announcement, you’ll need a Samsung Smart TV from 2016 onwards to get access to Samsung TV Plus and the new advert-supported channels. You’ll also need to be living in the UK, Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, or Switzerland.