Samsung Electronics announced a slate of new Samsung TV Plus channels in Europe, bringing audiences of the free, ad-supported TV (FAST) streaming service even more premium regional content from familiar and much-loved European broadcasters. Samsung TV Plus is exclusively available on more than 50 Million Samsung devices in Europe, without the need for an antenna or additional application, just an internet connection.
“Almost a decade ago, Samsung saw the huge potential that FAST could have in delivering the best and widest variety of quality content from around the world to our audiences for free via Samsung TV Plus. And this ambition still drives us today, even as the rest of the industry is catching up to the power of FAST. Being an early adopter, we have the advantage of having one of the largest FAST footprints in Europe and globally. And with that, we have been able to champion some incredible content producers, including European broadcasters. They have found a new home in FAST, extending the reach of their quality content beyond a regional audience. And those audiences have found a new way to access this broadcaster-quality content, all for free. We look forward to continuing our commitment to expanding the content on offer for our Samsung TV Plus European audience and partnering with the best content producers globally to help us do so,” Jennifer Batty, European Head of Content Acquisition at Samsung TV Plus, said.
These new partnerships between Samsung TV Plus and European broadcasters, including ZDF, ITV Studios, Viasat World, and Newen, further demonstrate the growth and improved quality of FAST channels in Europe. Recent research from Samsung Ads and Verve found that almost two-thirds (64%) of streaming audiences agree that content is improving on free streaming services, resulting in 78% of viewers watching free streaming alongside their SVOD (paid subscription video on demand) services.
Samsung TV Plus strengthens its relationship with the production and distribution partner for the most-watched German broadcaster, ZDF Studios, with the launch of two new channels: ‘Bares Für Rares,’ the long-running German antique entertainment program, and ‘ZDF kocht!’ which brings together the content of all the ZDF masterchefs. Initially available in Germany, the ambition is to expand the partnership between Samsung TV Plus and ZDF Studios to launch up to 20 channels across Europe, helping the German broadcaster reach new audiences not reachable via its linear output. "For ZDF Studios, FAST channels represent an attractive business area with a wide range of growth prospects. In August 2022, for example, the "Terra X" channel on Samsung TV Plus was launched extremely successfully. We are now looking forward to successively launching 20 more FAST channels across Europe together with our partner Samsung, thus accelerating our FAST growth. We will start in Germany with the formats "Cash or Trash" and "ZDF kocht!", which are ideally suited for FAST channel positioning," Markus Schäfer, President and CEO of ZDF Studios, stated.
Also now available in the DACH region, as well as Norway and Finland, will be the Samsung TV Plus exclusive channel ‘Hell’s Kitchen.’ Already available in other Samsung TV Plus markets, the exclusive channel from ITV Studios, the hit channel from ITV Studios has proved extremely popular with audiences who love watching the antics of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. "We are delighted to extend our Hell's Kitchen US channel to Germany with Samsung TV Plus. We look forward to bringing the fire and passion of Gordon Ramsay to German audiences in this explosive entertainment channel,” Graham Haigh, EVP of Global Digital Partnerships, ITV Studios, said.
Leading independent European broadcaster Viasat World brings content from three of its established factual brands to Samsung TV Plus audiences in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. This includes popular series and documentaries from ‘Viasat Nature’, focusing on the awe-inspiring places and creatures of the natural world, ‘Viasat Explore,’ celebrating ordinary people and their extraordinary stories from all around the world, and ‘Viasat History,’ bringing a fresh look at history, the secrets of the past and how it defines us today.
Finally, from Newen, the second-largest producer of drama in France and the production company of TF1 Group, comes ‘Plus belle la vie’ - the long-running French soap opera chronicling the dramatic and eventful lives of the residents of ‘La Mistral.’ Samsung TV Plus viewers in France and Switzerland will be able to catch up on the series ahead of the brand-new season premiere in 2024.
The launch of these new channels on Samsung TV Plus, which bring broadcaster-quality content to an even wider European audience, bolsters Samsung’s ongoing commitment to providing a vast range of premium streaming content that meets the evolving needs of today’s viewers and cements the transformative role FAST is playing within the total TV viewing experience.