Samsung TV Plus adds Fearne Cotton, Golf Life and Mark Rober channels
Fearne Cotton, Jimmy Bullard and former NASA scientist Mark Rober are moving from phones to the living-room TV.
Samsung TV Plus has signed a batch of deals with creators to launch new channels and carry existing ones into new countries, Deadline reported on 24 September. The plan covers Britain, five markets in Asia-Pacific and two in Latin America.
Samsung TV Plus is a free streamer built into Samsung Smart TVs. There is no subscription to pay and no extra app to find. Viewers open the built-in guide and press play.
The service already carries creator-led channels from filmmaker Dhar Mann and science presenter Michelle Khare. The new slate builds on that line-up. The business is led by Salek Brodsky, SVP and Global Head of Samsung TV Plus.
In Britain, Samsung TV Plus has partnered with 208 Studios to launch three channels. The deal gives three online brands a full-time broadcast home. Each will run as its own scheduled channel rather than a library to search.
Happy Place is built around Fearne Cotton's wellness podcast of the same name. Golf Life follows golfing personalities Tubes, Ange and former footballer Jimmy Bullard. Both bring familiar online followings to a television guide.
The third British launch is Joe Media. It is described as an online news brand aimed at millennials. Its channel will sit alongside entertainment and lifestyle options in the same free guide.
In Asia-Pacific, chef Luke Nguyen is getting his own showcase. Luke Nguyen's World will launch as a FAST channel, meaning a free ad-supported streaming channel that plays like live TV, in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. It will feature more than 95 episodes across nine series with the Australian-Vietnamese chef.
In Latin America, Mark Rober TV is widening its reach. A dubbed version of the channel from the former NASA scientist will launch in Brazil and Mexico. Dubbing, meaning the original English soundtrack is replaced with Portuguese and Spanish, opens the programmes to local audiences.
What makes this stand out is the slot. A dedicated channel keeps favourite programmes running back-to-back through the day. For fans, this means less scrolling and more watching.
