Samsung Electronics has surpassed 100 million monthly active users for Samsung TV Plus, a milestone that underscores how the television giant is transforming a once-peripheral feature into a core pillar of its global media ambitions.
The company said the free, ad-supported streaming platform added roughly 12 million users in about 14 months, up from 88 million in October 2024. The growth comes as consumers worldwide reassess paid video subscriptions and advertisers search for scaled digital inventory beyond traditional broadcast and premium subscription services.
Samsung TV Plus operates on a FAST model—free ad-supported streaming television—allowing viewers to watch curated linear channels and on-demand programming without paying fees. Instead, revenue is generated through advertising, a structure that has gained favor as streaming households push back against rising subscription costs.
For Samsung, which has led global TV shipments for 19 consecutive years, the service represents a strategic extension of its hardware dominance into recurring platform revenue. By controlling both the screen and the distribution layer, the company is positioning itself to capture a greater share of viewing time and advertising budgets.
When the service debuted in 2015, it was largely viewed as a value-added perk bundled into Samsung smart TVs. The market has since evolved. Major U.S. broadcasters and digital players have rolled out their own FAST offerings, validating the model and intensifying competition for content, technology and ad demand.
Samsung has responded by investing in exclusivity and curation. In December, the company used artificial-intelligence enhancement tools to remaster well-known Korean television dramas such as Autumn in My Heart, Successful Story of a Bright Girl and Damo into higher-definition formats aimed at both domestic nostalgia audiences and overseas viewers discovering the titles for the first time.
Lifestyle programming has expanded as well, with channels built around digital creators including Pani Bottle and Shim Euddeum, broadening appeal among younger demographics that increasingly consume creator-led entertainment alongside traditional TV.
The platform has also moved closer to the mainstream of domestic broadcasting, introducing 24-hour terrestrial news feeds and bringing into its ecosystem content that had historically been accessed through cable or IPTV subscriptions.
Globally, Samsung TV Plus now spans about 30 countries, offering roughly 4,300 channels and more than 76,000 video-on-demand titles. In the U.S., the company has pushed aggressively into premium Korean programming and live concert streams, seeking to harness international demand for K-culture while giving advertisers access to highly engaged fan communities.
Partnerships with regional broadcasters and studios continue to expand local lineups, a critical factor in FAST where habitual, lean-back viewing often depends on familiarity rather than deep libraries alone.
Executives say the next phase is less about proving viability and more about scaling influence within the broader media value chain. As distribution, advertising technology and content financing converge, a platform embedded in tens of millions of televisions offers leverage few competitors can match.
“Samsung TV Plus has grown into a global media platform that audiences incorporate naturally into everyday life,” said Junheon Choi, who leads the TV Plus group within Samsung’s visual display division. “We will continue strengthening differentiated competitiveness in the FAST market through broader channel offerings and premium content.”
For investors, the 100-million-user threshold signals that Samsung’s role in entertainment may increasingly be defined not only by the devices it sells, but by the viewing ecosystems it owns.
