Samsung Plus doubles on down on FAST

Samsung TV Plus is set to unveil a host of new programs under a new brand logo. This raft of premium content will grant users all around the world access to diverse, high-quality TV shows. Samsung is also expanding compatibility with this TV service to even more of its devices.

Opening Up a New Era of Streaming

Samsung launched Samsung TV Plus as a free streaming TV and video service in 2015, and as of August 2022, users from 24 countries can easily access connected TV and enjoy a wide range of content including news, sports, entertainment and more.

Since April 2021, the service has been available on Samsung mobile devices and Smart monitors, as well as on the company’s TV lineup. Now, select Family Hub refrigerators can also be connected to Samsung TV Plus¹ in the U.S. and Korea.

According to internal research, Samsung TV Plus ranks third among the over-the-top (OTT) apps used by owners of Samsung Smart TVs. In the last 12 months, Samsung TV Plus has seen a nearly twofold growth in consumer viewing, including nearly 3 billion hours streamed,² by highly engaged users worldwide.

Amidst this global growth, Samsung is opening up a new era for its free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) and video-on-demand service, with Samsung TV Plus now reaching 24 countries and 465 million devices globally across the company’s TV, smart monitors, mobile and Family Hub refrigerator lineups.

Enhancing Visibility for Viewing Versatility 

Samsung TV Plus’ new logo reflects the platform’s cross-device capabilities, with a blue and orange logo design on a black background providing improved visibility that signals the versatility of the platform.

In line with the coloration of its logo’s redesign, Samsung TV Plus’ UI will also be available in a Dark Theme with enhanced visibility. Users can more easily browse what’s on now, recommended programs and channel lists.

The content, which includes more than 200 channels in the U.S. and more than 1,600 globally, is free on Samsung’s 2016-2022 Smart TVs and Galaxy devices, as well as on some models of its Family Hub refrigerators, beginning with those in the U.S. and in Korea. 

On the premium content side, Samsung TV Plus has partnerships with A+E Networks, The E.W. Scripps Company and BBC Studios, which includes showing four BBC channels on the service. Its news offerings include broadcasts of ABC News Live, CBS News, LiveNOW from FOX, and NBC News NOW, as well as local news channels and weather. 

In addition to the new auto channel, the company will launch Samsung Showcase, which will feature concerts, events and other special programming. The channel will also feature exclusive content such as the uncut version of Demi Lovato’s Vevo Official Live Performance. Andy Singer, who previously worked at media company Alkemy X, Travel Channel and DIY Network, has been hired to further develop this segment as head of content. 

There are many players in the ad-supported television space, including Amazon’s Freevee, Paramount’s Pluto TV and more recently Disney+ and Hulu. Samsung’s goal is to have Samsung TV Plus on as many of its devices as possible, said Sang Kim, Samsung’s senior vice president of product and marketing, and the company still continues to see opportunities for expansion.  

“I think there’s still a lot of room to grow specific to the service. For us, we look at the international market, so we service in 24 countries, and so there’s a lot of headroom for us to grow in that space,” Kim said.

In the U.K., Samsung TV Plus is exclusively offering viewers the 2022 season of America’s Got Talent, as well as all previous seasons from 2019 to the present. This will eventually include the season finale, which is set to be aired in September. Furthermore, the first native 8K produced TV series, Das Boot, has launched exclusively in 8K on Samsung TV Plus in Germany. It was produced by Bavaria Fiction for Sky in partnership with Samsung Electronics Germany and has been available to watch on Samsung Neo QLED 8Ks via Samsung TV Plus from 2020 onwards.

For Samsung TV Plus users in Australia and New Zealand, the first exclusive, owned and operated (O&O) channels have been launched. These offer fan-favorite shows from the eighties, nineties and noughties — collected under the umbrella channel Throwback TV — as well as competitions and reality shows from around the globe under its Entertainment Hub channel. In India, Samsung TV Plus viewers can enjoy even more content from some of the top national and regional channel partners as Samsung continues to strengthen its relationship with channel partners including Discovery, Republic TV, Aaj Tak, Mastiii, Q TV, Pitaara and Balle.

¹ Samsung TV Plus compatible devices as of August 2022 include:
– TV: Smart TVs released after 2016 (availability may vary by country)
– Mobile: Devices supporting Android 8.0 OS and above
– Smart Monitor: M8, M7 and M5 Smart Monitors
– Family Hub: Products of Model 2.0 or above released after 2017

² From July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022