MADRID, 2 Sep. (Portaltic/EP) -
The Japanese online commerce giant and owner of the Spanish online video club Wuaki.tv, Rakuten Group, has acquired the Video service Viki, considered "the global version of Hulu and Netflix". Although neither side has disclosed the amount for which the deal has been disclosed, sources familiar with the matter have revealed to All Things D the figure of 200 million dollars (151 million euros) for the purchase.
Online video clubs and live TV on demand platforms have become the main avenues of entertainment for users. Although for the moment they have not ended the dreaded online piracy, platforms such as Hulu or Netflix have become a success mainly among the American public. However, in the Asian continent one of the most demanded platforms is Viki.
According to the blog of the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal, All Things D, the Japanese online commerce giant Rakuten has acquired the video platform Viki. This is the latest acquisition of the Japanese group, after acquiring the e-book company Kobo in 2011 and in 2012 the Spanish online video club Wuaki.tv.
The Viki platform has been translated into about 170 languages, with extensive growth in the Asian continent although it currently has among its objectives to reach Europe and Latin America.
Although neither party has confirmed the price of the operation, unidentified sources related to the operation have assured the technology blog that the operation has been closed for 200 million dollars (151 million euros).
Related links:
- AllThingsD.
