Mattel, Rakuten TV European partnership expands to Barbie, Pingu franchises

Rakuten TV is expanding its partnership with Mattel with the launch of two new FAST channels in Europe built around Barbie and Pingu.

The channels, Barbie & Friends and Pingu, are being programmed and distributed by Rakuten TV across several major European markets.

Barbie & Friends is anchored by the Barbie brand and includes additional Mattel franchises such as Monster High, Enchantimals and Polly Pocket. The channel is designed around themes of friendship, creativity and self-expression and is available in Portugal, the Netherlands, Germany, the U.K. and Ireland.

Pingu is dedicated to the animated penguin character and features the complete “Pingu” series in a continuous, dialogue-free stream. The channel is available in Portugal, France, Spain, Italy and Germany.

The launch builds on a partnership announced in 2025 that brought Mattel brands to Rakuten TV’s Family FAST channel and ad-supported video-on-demand library in Europe.

“The expansion of our partnership with Mattel marks a pivotal moment for Rakuten TV’s FAST strategy in Europe,” Marcos Milanez, chief content officer at Rakuten TV, said in a statement. “Taking responsibility for the programming and distribution of the channels for these beloved brands is not only a milestone in terms of content, but also a clear signal of the direction premium free-to-air streaming is taking. We’re not just adding channels: we’re building a scalable, audience-centric model that sets a new benchmark for FAST in Europe.”

Rakuten TV will operate the two channels on its own platform while also offering them to third-party distribution partners looking for family-focused, brand-safe FAST programming.

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