Rakuten Viki
A global streaming service specializing in Asian television, films, and original programming with community-created subtitles.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Rakuten Viki is an American over-the-top video-streaming service owned by Rakuten Group. The platform specializes in licensed Asian television series, films, variety programs, music videos, and original productions, with particularly strong coverage of South Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, and Japanese content. It distributes programming internationally through a combination of free ad-supported viewing and premium subscription video-on-demand access. The service was founded in 2007 by Razmig Hovaghimian, Changseong Ho, and Jiwon Moon. Its name combines “video” and “wiki,” reflecting the founders’ concept of a collaborative video platform in which distributed user communities help make international programming accessible to viewers who do not speak the original language. Rather than relying solely on professional localization teams, Viki developed tools that enable volunteers to subtitle programs collaboratively. Subtitles have been made available in more than 200 languages, including languages that are comparatively underserved or endangered in mainstream commercial media localization. Viki’s early development was supported by Neoteny Labs, a Singapore-based startup fund associated with Joichi Ito, and by Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn. The company moved to Singapore in 2008, using the city-state as a base for accessing Asian markets and benefiting from government support for technology businesses. After leaving beta in December 2010, Viki expanded its audience, mobile products, content licensing relationships, and commercial partnerships. Its early mobile strategy included the Viki On-The-Go iPhone application and an Android application developed with Samsung Southeast Asia. The company attracted further investment and industry attention in 2011. It received the TechCrunch Crunchie Award for Best International Startup and reported substantial audience growth during the same period. In October 2011, Viki raised $20 million from Greylock Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, and BBC Worldwide. Subsequent agreements with Warner Music Group, Taiwan’s SEED Music Group, and South Korea’s LOEN Entertainment broadened the service beyond television and film into music-video programming. Viki also entered a distribution arrangement with Renren in 2012, creating a free VikiZone video service for the Chinese social network. Rakuten acquired Viki in 2013. Following the acquisition, the service became part of Rakuten’s broader international digital-content ecosystem while retaining its focus on Asian entertainment and fan participation. In the period described after the acquisition, Viki’s monthly active-user base grew from approximately 22 million to approximately 35 million, while mobile users increased from about 10 million to about 25 million. Rakuten Viki has also worked with broadcasters, studios, and distribution partners including BBC Worldwide, TVB, SBS, Fuji TV, Amedia, Hulu, Netflix, Yahoo!, MSN, NBC, and A&E. The platform’s defining proposition remains the combination of professionally licensed content and community-powered localization. A title is placed in a Viki channel, after which volunteer contributors can translate and synchronize subtitles using Viki’s collaborative tools. This model allows multiple languages to be developed in parallel and helps niche Asian programs reach audiences well beyond their original territories. Viki has also produced or commissioned more than 100 original programs, including drama, entertainment, and miniseries projects such as Dramaworld, Where Your Eyes Linger, and Light on Me. Its present identity is therefore both a streaming storefront and a global fan-subtitling community centered on Asian popular culture.
History
Rakuten Viki originated in 2007 as Viki, a startup founded by Razmig Hovaghimian, Changseong Ho, and Jiwon Moon. The founders sought to address a structural problem in international television distribution: programs could attract audiences outside their home markets, but language barriers and the cost of professional localization often restricted access. Viki’s answer was to combine licensed video with collaborative, user-generated subtitling. The brand name joined “video” with “wiki,” emphasizing participation, shared editing, and distributed knowledge. Initial financing came from Neoteny Labs, a Singapore-based startup fund led by Joichi Ito, and from Reid Hoffman. In 2008, the company moved to Singapore, which offered access to Asian media markets and a favorable technology-business environment. Viki remained in development during its initial period and exited beta in December 2010, opening its service to the general public. Its business model centered on obtaining rights to television, film, and other video content, then using community contributors to create subtitles in multiple languages. The company expanded rapidly in 2011. It introduced Viki On-The-Go for iPhone users and worked with Samsung Southeast Asia on an Android application. Viki also reported 14 million unique views in August 2011, demonstrating demand for internationally distributed Asian entertainment. That year, it won the TechCrunch Crunchie Award for Best International Startup and raised a reported $20 million from Greylock Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, and BBC Worldwide. The investment and recognition supported further product development, content acquisition, and international audience growth. Viki broadened its catalog and commercial relationships in 2012. Music agreements with Warner Music Group, Taiwan’s SEED Music Group, and South Korea’s LOEN Entertainment added thousands of music videos. BBC Worldwide extended its relationship with the company and explored advertising cooperation. Viki also signed a non-exclusive agreement with Renren, a Chinese social network, to provide a free video destination called VikiZone. These arrangements showed the company pursuing several routes to market: direct web and mobile viewing, platform partnerships, advertising, and syndication. Rakuten acquired Viki in 2013. The transaction placed the service within a large Japanese technology group while preserving its identity as an international Asian-content platform. In the period following the acquisition, reported monthly active users increased from approximately 22 million to approximately 35 million, and mobile users rose from roughly 10 million to roughly 25 million. Rakuten Viki subsequently operated from San Mateo, California, with additional offices in Singapore, Tokyo, and Seoul. The post-acquisition service continued to use a hybrid access model, combining premium subscription video-on-demand with free ad-supported viewing. It also continued licensing and distribution relationships involving broadcasters, studios, and digital platforms in Asia and elsewhere. Viki programming and subtitled content have been distributed or syndicated through partners including Hulu, Netflix, Yahoo!, MSN, NBC, A&E, TVB, SBS, Fuji TV, and Amedia. Community subtitling remains the platform’s central distinction. Contributors can work collaboratively on a title through Viki’s subtitling technology, allowing several languages to be produced at the same time. The service has supported more than 200 subtitle languages, with a significant portion representing languages that receive limited attention from mainstream localization businesses. This model gives viewers a role in international distribution while helping Viki reach audiences across linguistic and geographic boundaries. In addition to licensed programming, Rakuten Viki has developed a substantial original-content slate, described in the reference material as exceeding 100 programs. Examples include the 2016 series Dramaworld, the 2020 Korean series Where Your Eyes Linger, and the 2021 series Light on Me. These productions sit alongside the platform’s broader catalog of Asian drama, films, variety shows, and music content. Today, Rakuten Viki is best understood as a global streaming and localization service whose competitive identity rests on Asian programming, multilingual access, and organized fan communities.
- 2021
Light on Me
[1]The platform features the original series Light on Me.
- 2020
Where Your Eyes Linger
[1]The platform features the original series Where Your Eyes Linger.
- 2016
Dramaworld
[1]Rakuten Viki releases or carries the original program Dramaworld as part of its original-programming development.
- 2013
Rakuten acquisition
[1]Rakuten acquires Viki, bringing the service into its global digital-content ecosystem.
- 2012
Catalog expands into music video
[1]Viki signs agreements with Warner Music Group, SEED Music Group, and LOEN Entertainment and adds thousands of music videos.
- 2011
Mobile expansion and major financing
[1]Viki launches mobile applications, wins a TechCrunch Crunchie, reports strong audience traffic, and raises a reported $20 million financing round.
- 2010
Service exits beta
[1]Viki makes its service generally available after leaving its beta phase in December.
- 2008
Company moves to Singapore
[1]Viki relocates to Singapore to benefit from the city-state’s technology ecosystem and position as a pan-Asian business hub.
- 2007
Viki is founded
[1]Razmig Hovaghimian, Changseong Ho, and Jiwon Moon establish Viki as a collaborative international video platform.
Products and positioning
A globally accessible Asian-entertainment streaming platform differentiated by licensed programming, multilingual community subtitling, and fan participation.
Streaming platform · 2010
Rakuten Viki streaming service
The core Rakuten Viki service provides online access to licensed Asian television series, films, variety programs, music videos, and original productions. It uses a hybrid distribution model with free ad-supported viewing and premium subscription video-on-demand tiers. The catalog is organized into program channels and is available internationally subject to licensing and territory restrictions.
Localization technology · 2007
Community subtitling
Rakuten Viki’s collaborative subtitle system allows volunteers to translate and synchronize programs for international audiences. Multiple contributors can work on a title concurrently, enabling subtitles in more than 200 languages and supporting access to content in languages that are less commonly served by commercial localization providers.
Mobile application · 2011
Viki mobile applications
Viki extended its service to mobile audiences through the Viki On-The-Go iPhone application and an Android application developed with Samsung Southeast Asia. These products helped the platform build a mobile viewing audience alongside its website-based service.
Original programming · 2016
Rakuten Viki originals
Rakuten Viki has developed or distributed more than 100 original programs, including dramas, entertainment shows, and miniseries. Referenced examples include Dramaworld, Where Your Eyes Linger, and Light on Me.
Brand decisions
2013
Rakuten acquires VikiM&ABackground
Viki had developed an international audience for Asian video content and a distinctive community-based subtitling model.
Action taken
Rakuten purchased Viki and integrated the service into its global digital-content ecosystem while continuing its Asian-entertainment focus.
Aftermath
The service experienced reported growth in monthly active and mobile users after the acquisition and continued expanding licensing, distribution, and original-programming activities.
2010
Viki opens its service to the general publicStrategyBackground
The company’s platform had been operating in beta while it refined its video distribution and collaborative subtitle tools.
Action taken
Viki exited beta in December 2010 and made the service generally available.
Aftermath
The public launch enabled broader audience growth, mobile expansion, and subsequent content and distribution partnerships.
Sources2 sources
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