Samsung is one of the biggest TV and smartphone manufacturers in the world. It's logical for the company to bundle its streaming service with TVs, top Galaxy smartphones, and tablets. In 2015, Samsung introduced Samsung TV Plus, a free, ad-supported streaming service with live TV channels, on its televisions and later expanded it to Galaxy devices. Here's everything you need to know about Samsung TV Plus.
Samsung TV Plus isn't the first attempt from the South Korean giant to crack the growing streaming services market. In 2014, Samsung unveiled its ambitious plans under the Milk brand and launched Milk Music and Milk Video services. Both services failed to get meaningful attention from users, forcing Samsung to shut down Milk Video in late 2015 and Milk Music the following year.
What is Samsung TV Plus?
Samsung initially started TV Plus as an experiment in the U.S. and South Korea. The company introduced TV Plus as a video rental service in the U.S. and launched the same as an ad-supported video service in its home country of South Korea. After analyzing user data for about a year, Samsung decided to go ahead with TV Plus within the AVOD (Advertising Based Video on Demand) space.
With TV Plus, Samsung isn't trying to chase Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, or Netflix. The company doesn't produce original TV shows or movies or host on-demand titles from other networks. TV Plus is more in line with Google YouTube TV, Sling TV, or FuboTV, with on-demand live TV channels. Unlike other platforms, TV Plus is free to use, and there are no paid plans to remove ads (although it may change in the future). Samsung doesn't offer DVR storage, add-ons to include more live TV channels, and put a cap on the number of simultaneous connections.
Samsung TV Plus availability and channels
Samsung had massive success with TV Plus on smart TVs, and the company expanded the same to Galaxy smartphones and tablets in 2020. In June 2021, Samsung took another big step by introducing TV Plus on the web. Samsung TV Plus web version is only available in the U.S. and South Korea.
The streaming service is available in 24 countries, and the company plans to increase the TV Plus footprint in more regions. The list includes the United States, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Austria, France, Switzerland, Spain, Thailand, Italy, South Korea, Denmark, Brazil, Belgium, Australia, Finland, India, Mexico, Norway, Netherlands, Portugal, Luxembourg, and Sweden.
Samsung offers over 1,200 channels across 24 countries. The offering differs from one region to another. TV Plus has over 200 channels in popular categories in the U.S.: News, Entertainment, Sports, International, Comedy, Gaming, Music, and more. You can check the entire channel lineup from the Samsung TV Plus page. The service also supports 4K channels like Love Nature 4K and Clarity 4K.
You can access news channels like CNN, Bloomberg, The Guardian, and Reuters in the U.K. Shows like Comedy Hub, Homes Under the Hammer, Come Dine with Me, and more should cover your entertainment coverage.
America's Got Talent TV show is only available on Samsung TV Plus in the U.K. TV Plus offers mouth-water perks in Germany as well. You can watch Das Boot in 8K resolution and access the DAZN streaming service to catch live sports events. DAZN has a rich library of boxing matches and popular sports games.
Samsung TV Plus: Supported platforms
You can find Samsung TV Plus on the company's smart TV lineup running Tizen OS and Chromecast. The mobile app is limited to Galaxy phones and tablets. You can download it from the Galaxy Store or Google Play Store. Samsung TV Plus is unavailable on the best streaming devices like Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku. Let's look at all devices you can use to access Samsung TV Plus.
- Galaxy phones and tablets running Android 8.0 or higher in 11 countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, India, Republic of Korea, and Italy
- 2016-2023 Samsung Smart TVs in 24 regions
- Family Hub in the Republic of Korea (2017-2022)
- 2017 Family Hub in the United States
- Samsung Smart Monitor line up like M7 and M8
- Samsung TV web version in the United States and the Republic of Korea
Samsung is reportedly in talks with other TV OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) like TCL to bundle their TV Plus streaming service.
Samsung has integrated TV Plus into the Samsung Free menu on Galaxy smartphones. Samsung Free is Samsung's replacement for Google Discover on Android. You can read news articles, play games, and go to the Watch tab and check live TV channels from the Samsung TV Plus service. If you are not a fan of Samsung Free, you can always switch to Google Discover.
Do I need a Samsung account to access Samsung TV Plus?
You don't need a Samsung account to use Samsung TV Plus. If you want to sync your streaming history across several devices, create and log in with your Samsung account.
Samsung TV Plus alternatives
Samsung isn't the only major player in the AVOD (Advertising Based Video on Demand) space. If you don't like Samsung's free offering with limited availability, switch to one of its rivals and enjoy live TV channels and on-demand content for free or a small monthly price tag.
Pluto TV
Pluto TV has more than 250 live TV channels, and unlike TV Plus, it's available on every major platform you can think of. The service carries a familiar UI with a guide format and follows the same ad-supported business model as TV Plus. Pluto TV availability is limited, though. You can only access the service in the U.S., U.K., Austria, Canada, Germany, and Switzerland.
Tubi TV
Tubi TV is another neat Samsung TV Plus alternative with more than 80 live TV channels and on-demand titles. Although the service has apps for the major platforms, its availability is limited to the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Australia.
The Roku Channel
The Roku Channel offers rich TV shows and a movie library for free. You don't need to create a new account to access the Roku Channel on your device. The company's streaming service is available on Roku, Samsung, Amazon Fire TVs, Roku players, and the web, Android, and iOS platforms. If you want more content, you can always add premium subscriptions such as Showtime, Starz, AMC+, BET+, and more.
Samsung TV Plus is worth a shot
There is no drought of capable paid streaming apps in the U.S. You can check our best streaming services list and pick one based on your preferences. We aren't surprised to see Samsung's major push for TV Plus. Samsung has a winner on its hands, and with continuous expansion and new TV channel offerings, the ad revenue will grow over the next few years.