“R Channel” launches the “South American Qualifiers for the 26 FIFA World Cup” channel to broadcast the “South American Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup” matches | Press release from Rakuten Group, Inc.

R Channel is a free linear video distribution service operated by Rakuten Group, Inc., and is a specialty channel that broadcasts local matches of six South American qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

“Channel R” is a linear video distribution service that allows you to watch programs from a wide range of genres, including animation, films, drama, news, sports, entertainment, hobbies and children's, for free 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It is distributed across 48 channels (note 1), one of the largest linear video distribution services in Japan, and in addition to receiving one Rakuten Point for each hour of viewing time, Rakuten Points are awarded based on the rating of the total viewing time for each. Points are also awarded (Note 2). The recently launched “26 FIFA World Cup South American Qualifiers” channel will show all the domestic matches of six countries in the “2026 FIFA World Cup South American Qualifiers”: Venezuela, Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay and Peru (note 3). 54 games are scheduled to be distributed sequentially (Note 4). In addition, some upcoming matches will be broadcast live or recorded on the “SPECIAL LIVE” channel within the same channel. An archive of past matches will be broadcast on the “Archive” channel.

The Chile-Brazil match scheduled for Friday, October 11 (Japanese time) will be broadcast exclusively live. This is the first time that R Channel broadcasts a football match live. In addition, the match between Venezuela and Argentina on the same day will be broadcast live from 1:00 p.m. on the same day. These matches will be distributed exclusively on Channel R and can only be watched for free on Channel R. You can check the upcoming schedule on the “R Channel” capture page (Note 5).

“R Channel” will continue to provide attractive and new entertainment experiences and improve service convenience, achieving highly satisfactory service for a wide range of users.

(Note 1) As of October 10, 2024

(Note 2) A Rakuten ID is required to receive the gift.

(Note 3) The names of the countries are arranged alphabetically

(Note 4) Including 24 matches already held

(Note 5) “R Channel” capture page URL:

https://channel.rakuten.co.jp/service/static/pickup/

■ FIFA World Cup 26 South American Qualifiers channel overview.

The “FIFA World Cup 26 South American Qualifiers” channel consists of the “SPECIAL LIVE” channel and the “Archive” channel, and in addition to the live and recorded distribution of some “FIFA World Cup 2026 South American Qualifiers” matches, it also provides live broadcast of all matches. This is a channel specialized in distributing archives.

・Private Live Broadcast channel.

Contents: Some matches from each match will be broadcast live or recorded. You can watch from the “SPECIAL LIVE” channel shown on “Channel R” on the day of broadcast.

Target match: October 11, 2024 (Friday) at 9:00 AM, Chile vs Brazil kick-off

Distribution time: Live broadcast from 8:45 on Friday, October 11, 2024 (the archive is scheduled to be distributed on the same channel at 17:00 on the day)

Target match: October 11, 2024 (Friday) at 6:00 kick-off of the match between Venezuela and Argentina

Distribution time: Recorded broadcast starting at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, October 11, 2024 (archive distribution is scheduled on the same channel at 20:30 p.m.)

*All times are as of Thursday, October 10, 2024, Japan time.

・Archive Channel (as of October 10, 2024)

Contents: We will archive a total of 54 domestic matches from 6 countries: Venezuela, Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay and Peru, including 24 matches that have already been played and 30 matches that will be played in the future.

*Future schedules can be confirmed on the “R Channel” pickup page.

*Broadcast times may change without notice. Thank you for your understanding.

■ “R Channel” overview.

Watch 48 channels (as of October 10, 2024) from a wide range of genres, including anime, movies, drama, news, sports, entertainment, hobbies and kids, for free 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, according to the program schedule, just as you would on TV It's a video distribution service that lets you do this and can be used for free on eligible smartphone apps, web browsers, and TV models. Additionally, it is possible to accumulate Rakuten points depending on your viewing time, and it supports missed streams. For advertisers, we also offer “R Channel Ads,” a service that allows ads to be delivered to targeted users on an “R Channel.”

Web browser version URL: https://channel.rakuten.co.jp/

iOS version app: https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/id6444323389

(Recommended operating environment: iOS 14.5 or above)

Android™ version app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.co.rakuten.channel

(Recommended operating environment: Android™ 10 or higher)

R Channel Ads URL: https://channel.rakuten.co.jp/service/ads/

*iOS is a trademark or registered trademark of Cisco in the U.S. and other countries, and iOS is used under license.

*Android™ is a trademark of Google LLC.

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