Samsung TV Plus, Samsung’s free ad-supported TV (FAST) service, has grown into an industry-leading platform — working 2,000 channels in 24 international locations — since its launch in 2015. The platform’s success continues to skyrocket, with shoppers in these international locations utilizing Samsung TV Plus throughout 500 million units as of June 2023 and recording three billion hours of accrued viewing time worldwide in 2022.
With its aggressive service construction, Samsung TV Plus advantages shoppers in addition to content material and advert companions — offering new, enriching viewing experiences because of its intensive community. The second article on this collection seems at how the platform is setting the usual for at-home TV viewing experiences and its imaginative and prescient for the long run.
The previous article on this collection launched the FAST market and the historical past behind Samsung TV Plus. This week, Samsung Newsroom sat down with Yujung Kang, Junga Park and Sejin Woo of the Visible Show Enterprise at Samsung Electronics to debate the present standing of the industry-leading platform and its future.
▲ (From left) Sejin Woo, Yujung Kang and Junga Park of the Visible Show Enterprise at Samsung Electronics
Get the Most Out of Your TV: Content material for Each Person
▲ Since its launch in 2015, Samsung TV Plus has grown to turn out to be an industry-leading platform, providing 2,000 channels in 24 international locations.
Samsung TV Plus, Samsung Electronics’ FAST platform, offers viewers with high-quality leisure. By merely turning on their good TVs, Samsung TV Plus customers have entry to 1000’s of ad-supported channels with no subscription mandatory. “Specializing in the elemental worth of TVs, Samsung TV Plus was designed to resemble broadcast TV, permitting viewers to take pleasure in content material with out the effort of an advanced set-up course of,“ mentioned Sejin Woo.
The most important benefit of Samsung TV Plus is its aggressive content material choices that allow customers to conveniently entry quite a lot of widespread applications from a single platform. Customers can binge-watch their favourite TV collection and uncover new applications by tailor-made content material suggestions.
Samsung TV Plus’ Secret to Success: A Fastidiously Calibrated Operation
▲ Yujung Kang explains the content material adjustment means of companion channels on Samsung TV Plus.
Along with providing various content material, Samsung optimizes the viewing expertise for customers by its content material partnerships. Companions should bear an onboarding course of for 9 to 13 weeks to regulate display screen facet ratio, decision and system compatibility — constructing an enriching viewing expertise match for any streaming surroundings.
“Since surprising issues can happen even if you observe the foundations, human intervention is important when tailoring content material to units,” mentioned Yujung Kang. The operation group displays streaming specs when a channel launch is about, so customers can comfortably stream content material throughout completely different units corresponding to smartphones, tablets and TVs. A wide range of components should be checked together with the audio-to-video synchronization, program information, logos and thumbnails — towards greater than 10 classes and subcategories. This rigorous process is designed to detect and establish any potential points that will come up when content material is repeatedly performed for greater than 24 hours. As soon as accomplished, Samsung adjusts the subtitle readability and ensures secure streaming with engineers.
These processes function the inspiration for seamlessly internet hosting and working over 2,000 international channels in real-time, all day every single day. “We fastidiously hear and talk with viewers whereas straight monitoring every channel throughout launch, operation and termination — treating our companion channels like our personal firm merchandise,“ mentioned Yujung.
Personalized Content material for Each Event
Whereas secure service is essential throughout viewing, content material high quality makes all of the distinction. To cut back content material muddle and assure content material high quality meets the very best requirements, Samsung focuses on offering high-quality content material somewhat than merely increasing the variety of channels. In step with this strategy, Samsung TV Plus considers goal viewer information analytics and conducts inner discussions to curate a choice of content material that customers will take pleasure in watching.
Samsung TV Plus’ purpose is to make each hour “prime time.” To this finish, Samsung updates content material and adjusts channels each different week in order that viewers have entry to solely one of the best content material they’re certain to take pleasure in. Upon analyzing information and tendencies, the corporate removes content material from the platform that has low viewership. Along with this, Samsung repeatedly organizes channels round sure occasions, holidays and seasons to advertise content material customers could not wish to miss out on.
▲ Sejin Woo explains how technique is important when organizing channels on Samsung TV Plus.
“Earlier than including a brand new season of a TV collection, we create a channel the place viewers can watch earlier seasons and alter the order of channels to make the content material stand out,” mentioned Sejin. “There’s a method behind each channel.”
Focusing on World Viewers By way of Curated Content material
Understanding the distinctive content material preferences of customers all over the world is crucial when figuring out channel choices as customers’ preferences differ by location, tradition and extra. As such, Samsung TV Plus works with content material partnership specialists in every area to grasp and supply content material.
▲ Junga states how she prioritizes understanding international cultures when choosing content material.
“We’re in a position to establish the true worth of content material solely once we mix information with the opinions of specialists who absolutely perceive a goal nation,” Junga Park mentioned. Whereas information is essential when analyzing a TV program’s relative recognition, content material specialists present worthwhile perception into the preferences of native viewers, guaranteeing that chosen content material will likely be nicely obtained.
“It’s a delicate stability of artwork and science,” she added.
▲ Totally different titles and genres are widespread in numerous international locations
These variations in content material preferences are significantly noticeable between viewers in Korea and the US. Whereas Korean viewers have a tendency to pick out trending exhibits, American viewers choose to look at exhibits primarily based on particular person preferences.
“In Korea, individuals will ask one another if they’ve seen the newest episode of a TV present since trending content material is a dialog starter. Nevertheless, in the US, the recognition of over 200 channels is fairly evenly unfold — reflecting the variety of viewers’ content material preferences,” mentioned Yujung.
Native content material is very nicely obtained in multilingual nations corresponding to India and European international locations. But, preferences for subtitles differ by area — viewers in Korea should not disturbed by subtitles, however viewers in Spain choose dubbed content material. “In relation to sourcing content material, our high precedence is language. For instance, we offer not solely English and Hindi, but in addition Marathi, Tamil, Punjabi, Gujrati, Bengali, Telegu, and Bhojpuri content material in India,” she added.
Samsung TV Plus Goals To Turn out to be a Subsequent Technology Media Platform
Samsung TV Plus is celebrating its ninth anniversary by increasing its service to extra units and persevering with to reinforce its content material library by stronger partnerships.
Trying forward, Yujung highlighted how Samsung is searching for to make use of the newest technological instruments to extend effectivity. “Many components, corresponding to decision, subtitles and content material format, nonetheless must be managed by somebody,” she mentioned. “We’re planning to undertake automation processes throughout our operations to make them extra environment friendly. Since ‘operation by no means sleeps,’ we are going to allow our service to be mechanically set if information is entered. Extra environment friendly service operation is considered one of our high priorities.”
One other purpose for the platform is to broaden market presence and model consciousness. “There are some customers who use Samsung TV Plus incessantly however don’t essentially realize it’s a Samsung product,” mentioned Sejin. “This 12 months, we are going to perform custom-made advertising actions tailor-made to every nation and drive extra international customers to the platform by stronger model consciousness.”
Junga is assured that the FAST market will proceed to develop as international streaming providers corresponding to Samsung TV Plus attempt to turn out to be the following era of TV. “Samsung will proceed to reinforce the platform to turn out to be the world’s largest TV service supplier, one that may current customers with unparalleled viewing experiences whereas guaranteeing content material and advert companions profit,” mentioned Junga.
As a brand new period of TV emerges, Samsung stays steadfast in its dedication to offering one of the best viewing experiences for customers all over the world.