2023 will be the year of mobile on Samsung TV+, according to Oliver Davies, the service’s European product lead.
Speaking in a Q&A at OTT Question Time Live in London, he added that although it is present on every Samsung devices, its usage on mobile is absolutely tiny. Samsung TV+ nevertheless have some “nifty ideas to encourage instant engagement” and there is a lot of niche content that doesn’t work on TV but may work well on the mobile version.
Davies also said that although broadcasters want the opportunity of what FAST can offer, they do not want to undermine their existing business. Samsung TV+ has fantastic relationships with BBC Studios, ITV Studios and CNN, though the biggest surprise has been its cooperation with Spain’s RTVE. It began to carry the public broadcaster’s five channels in November to coincide with the World Cup and viewing figures went ballistic.
Commenting on the demographic that watches Samsung TV+, Davies said that it is generally older, traditional TV audience as there is no barrier to entry. It attracts a lot of people who may not like going into an app environment. However, it also attracts younger viewers who also watch TV.
Despite this, it has tried to introduce channels at young people and they haven’t worked.
Davies revealed that Samsung TV+ sees itself as a curator of its own channels and has done placement deals on its EPG.
It has also set itself a limit of 120 channels per territory.
