Samsung is one of the only super-giant international tech companies that’s pretty much all about hardware, with all of its ancillary business categories supporting its devices. So of course it’s the next technology company to … let me just check my notes here … launch an ad-supported TV service. Okie dokie. Samsung TV Plus, previously available on the company’s smart TVs and phones, is now up for general viewing on the web.
It’s an interesting expansion. Not only is the free web video available to people who don’t own a single piece of Samsung electronics, Samsung is expanding its compatibility to competing TV streaming systems as well. The Samsung TV Plus app for Android has added the ability to stream video to Chromecast-compatible devices. While the app itself is still limited to Samsung phones, it now has the ability to stream its video to Chromecasts and Cast-compatible devices. Between smart TV platforms and dongle devices, that means Samsung TV Plus is viewable on more or less any brand of TV.
(Oh, and you can get around that Samsung phones only restriction: download the app from another source like APK Mirror, then sign in with a Samsung account.)
The two moves in conjunction mean that Samsung is getting serious about expanding access to content, not just hardware or its associated software. And it’s pretty decent content, as freebie ad-supported stuff goes: over 100 channels from notable rights-holders including ABC, CBS, Fox, PBS, and a grab bag of reruns for shows, movies, news, and sports. In addition to long-standing support for the United States, Samsung has expanded TV Plus to 23 countries, including India, Brazil, Australia, Mexico, and a dozen or so European territories. Naturally, what you can watch varies based on where you are.
Samsung is apparently very pleased with its service so far, boasting that it’s installed on almost 50 million smart TVs and streams “billions of minutes every month.” Exactly how that translates to consistent users, or matches up against growing competition in the free ad-based space like the Roku TV, Plex, Tubi, et cetera is less clear. But obviously someone at Samsung sees the potential for a lot of profit in Samsung TV Plus, and they don’t care whether or not you watch it on a Samsung screen.
