Rakuten Viki
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Streaming media, Video on demand |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founder | Razmig Hovaghimian, Changseong Ho, Vikram Bhatta, Jiwon Moon |
| Headquarters | San Mateo , United States |
Area served | International |
| Products | Streaming media platform, Original programming |
| Owner | Rakuten |
| Parent | Rakuten |
| Website | viki |
Rakuten Viki is a U.S.-based over-the-top subscription streaming platform that provides video content with subtitles available in more than 200 languages, alongside its own original productions. Its headquarters are located in San Mateo, California, with additional offices situated in Singapore, Tokyo, Japan, and Seoul, South Korea.
The brand name Viki merges the terms video and wiki, symbolizing its reliance on volunteer-created subtitles. Established by Razmig Hovaghimian, Changseong Ho, Vikram Bhatta, and Jiwon Moon, the company has expanded to serve an international audience, boasting 53 million users as of 2021. As a part of Rakuten, Viki’s business approach centers on community involvement to enhance its foothold in the competitive streaming marketplace.
In January 2011, Viki was honored with the TechCrunch Crunchie award for best international startup, underscoring its early prominence and effective leadership in the OTT sector. Its services concentrate on streaming media and video-on-demand content, monetized through advertising and optional user registration.
2007–2012; Founding and Early Development
Viki was established in 2007 by Razmig Hovaghimian, Changseong Ho, and Jiwon Moon. Initial capital was provided by Neoteny Labs, a Singapore-based venture fund led by Joichi Ito, along with support from Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn.
The company moved its base to Singapore in 2008 to take advantage of governmental incentives and the city’s strategic role as a pan-Asian hub. By December 2010, Viki had officially launched its platform after completing its beta phase. Rakuten acquired the company in 2013.
In September 2011, Viki rolled out its iPhone application named Viki On-The-Go and collaborated with Samsung Southeast Asia to create an Android app. By August of that year, Viki.com had reached 14 million unique visitors. In October 2011, it raised $20 million in funding from investors including Greylock Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, and BBC Worldwide.
May 2012 marked an expansion of Viki’s content offerings through partnerships with Warner Music Group, Taiwan’s SEED Music Group, and South Korea’s LOEN Entertainment, adding thousands of music videos. BBC Worldwide also enhanced its cooperation by integrating advertising efforts with Viki.
In July 2012, Viki entered the Chinese market via a non-exclusive agreement with social networking site Renren, launching a free video platform called VikiZone that featured parts of Viki’s content library.
2013–present; Rakuten Acquisition and Growth
After being acquired by Rakuten, Viki’s monthly active user base grew from 22 million (with 10 million mobile users) to 35 million monthly active users including 25 million accessing via mobile devices. The company forged original content partnerships with BBC Worldwide and secured distribution agreements with platforms such as Hulu, Netflix, Yahoo!, MSN, NBC, and A&E. It also collaborated with broadcasters like TVB in Hong Kong, SBS in South Korea, Fuji TV in Japan, and Amedia in Russia.
Services
Viki delivers premium licensed streaming content comparable to services like Hulu within the U.S. market. Its offerings are arranged into channels and subtitled by volunteers using proprietary subtitling tools that support simultaneous collaboration across multiple languages. These volunteers create subtitles under a Creative Commons license, covering up to 160 languages including approximately 50 endangered ones. Viki licenses fan-subtitled programs to partners such as Hulu, Netflix, and Yahoo!, generating income through distribution agreements.
Original programming
Viki's content library includes more than 100 exclusive titles, featuring a variety of entertainment series, dramas, and short-form shows, which significantly broaden its offerings and strengthen its position in the market.
- Dramaworld (2016)
- Where Your Eyes Linger (2020)
- Light on Me (2021)