Like Apple, Samsung is interested in services. However, most of these services that the Korean giant has launched have not had the expected success. For example, it already had a messaging service called ChatON which it closed in 2015. It also tried to establish itself in music streaming with the Milk Music application, but without success. On the other hand, it would seem that Samsung’s video streaming platform is a crowd pleaser and in recent years the company has continued to evolve this platform.
Called “TV Plus”, this Samsung platform was launched in 2015. Today, it is already available in France, and allows you to watch live channels, as well as videos on demand. In addition to being completely free, the service offers a different offer from that of Netflix or Disney+, and falls into the category of FAST or free streaming supported by advertising in the United States. In any case, the service is a hit.
Samsung streaming takes off
“According to an internal study, Samsung TV Plus ranks third among over-the-top (OTT) apps used by Samsung Smart TV owners. Over the past 12 months, Samsung TV Plus has seen its number of consumer views nearly double, including nearly 3 billion hours of streaming, by highly engaged users around the world”announced the Korean giant in 2022.
Until now, Samsung TV Plus was only for users of Samsung products. Indeed, the platform is only accessible on recent televisions and smartphones of the Korean brand, as well as on its Family Hub refrigerators. “Samsung TV Plus now reaches 24 countries and 465 million devices worldwide through the company’s Family Hub ranges of TVs, smart monitors, mobiles and refrigerators”the company explained in 2022.
Samsung TV Plus is looking for more audience
But obviously, the success of this platform has pushed Samsung to turn to a wider audience. According to an article by The Verge, which relays the Lowpass newsletter by Janko Roettgers, Samsung would now like to offer TV Plus on the connected televisions of its competitors. Roettgers’ sources reportedly revealed that the Korean giant has already spoken with a few manufacturers. And among the brands contacted by it, there would be TCL.
Of course, it would be easy for Samsung to make this streaming platform accessible everywhere, just by releasing an app for smartTVs. However, the company would like TV Plus to be highlighted on the televisions of partner brands, as is the case with its products. Obviously, for the moment, this information should be considered with caution, since it does not come from an official source. However, by not limiting the audience of TV Plus to users of its products, Samsung could boost the growth of the platform and its advertising revenues.
In any case, in the short term, competition could be tough in this segment of video streaming. Indeed, rumors suggest that YouTube is also preparing a FAST, or free ad-supported streaming. For its part, Samsung has beefed up TV Plus in 2022. In addition to having reviewed the interface of the platform, it has also invested in premium and exclusive content for a few countries.
