Samsung TV Plus, Samsung’s free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) service, may soon make its way to other smart TVs, according to Lowpass’ Janko Roettgers.
Samsung has supposedly approached some of its TV OEM competitors, like TCL, about including Samsung TV Plus in their TV sets. Sources told Roettgers TCL has had discussions with Samsung in recent months, but that “it’s unclear how far those talks advanced, or whether they are still ongoing.”
TCL and Samsung declined to comment to Lowpass. But if the report is accurate, it would mean the Samsung TV Plus app could eventually be integrated into a non-Samsung TVOS.
It wouldn’t be the first time Samsung has taken steps to expand Samsung TV Plus footprint. Last fall, the company disclosed it’s licensed its open-source Tizen operating system – which also runs Samsung TV Plus – to third-party TV manufacturers in countries like Australia, Italy, Turkey and New Zealand.
LG, another electronics maker with its own FAST service – LG Channels – recently opened up its webOS streaming TV platform for third-party use.
Aside from Samsung-powered smart TVs, Samsung TV Plus is also available on Galaxy mobile devices and via browser.
Samsung TV Plus touts over 220 linear channels in the U.S., most recently adding NBCUniversal’s Dateline and NBC News Now in December. Speaking with Fierce Video in August, Samsung SVP of Product and Marketing Sang Kim said the company has seen the FAST platform’s engagement “just go through the roof the past three or four years.”
Samsung in August also said Samsung TV Plus viewers streamed nearly 3 billion hours of content in the previous 12 months.
The FAST space is poised to capture sizeable revenue growth over the next couple of years, as research firm TVREV predicts that by 2025, 35% of total ad spend will go towards FASTs – overtaking ad revenue from cable, broadcast or SVOD services. The projected ad spend falls in line with consumers increasingly gravitating toward ad-supported content.