Samsung TV Plus is a free, ad-supported streaming service (FAST platform) available on Samsung smart TVs without any subscription, download, or account creation. It is pre-installed on Samsung TVs sold in India and auto-launches on the TV's home screen. For CTV advertisers, Samsung TV Plus represents a distinct and often underused inventory type — FAST channel inventory on premium Samsung hardware, reaching urban households with high-quality TVs and no subscription behaviour.
What Samsung TV Plus is
Samsung TV Plus offers a curated set of linear-style streaming channels — pre-programmed content streams that play continuously like traditional TV channels. Viewers do not select specific shows or episodes; they tune into a channel and watch whatever is currently playing. Content on Samsung TV Plus India includes news (NDTV, India Today), entertainment, lifestyle, sports highlights, and regional content channels.
Because there is no login required and content plays automatically, Samsung TV Plus captures viewing from households that have a Samsung TV but do not actively use SVOD or even AVOD apps. This makes Samsung TV Plus a distinct audience layer — often reaching less actively engaged streaming audiences than JioHotstar or Zee5, but on premium hardware in quality households.
Advertising on Samsung TV Plus India
Samsung TV Plus advertising in India is managed through Samsung Ads, Samsung's advertising platform. Access routes for buyers:
Direct IO through Samsung Ads: The primary route for brand advertisers. Samsung Ads India team manages direct campaign execution, with audience targeting using Samsung's ACR (Automatic Content Recognition) data and Samsung account data where available.
Programmatic access: Samsung TV Plus inventory is accessible programmatically through select DSP integrations. Samsung has partnerships with DV360 and The Trade Desk for Samsung TV Plus inventory. This route offers more targeting flexibility but lower scale than direct IO.
Samsung ACR data: a unique India CTV signal
ACR (Automatic Content Recognition) is a technology built into Samsung TVs that identifies what content is being displayed on screen — including linear TV channels, streaming content, and even screen mirroring from other devices. Samsung Ads uses ACR data to build audience segments based on actual viewing behaviour. An advertiser can target "households that recently watched auto category content on any screen" — a signal derived from ACR, not just streaming app data.
ACR-based targeting is a differentiated capability that is not available through other India CTV programmatic routes. It enables true content consumption-based targeting across linear and streaming, making it particularly valuable for categories where cross-screen content affinity is a strong predictor of purchase intent (auto, consumer durables, financial services).
India reach and scale of Samsung TV Plus
Samsung holds approximately 20% of India's smart TV market, making it the largest single TV brand. India's Samsung smart TV installed base is estimated at 8–12 million active households as of 2026. Samsung TV Plus reaches a subset of these — households where the TV is frequently turned on and where FAST viewing occurs. Urban households with newer Samsung TVs in Tier 1 cities represent the core Samsung TV Plus India audience.
Samsung TV Plus vs JioHotstar for India CTV planning
| Dimension | Samsung TV Plus | JioHotstar |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 8–12M Samsung households | 100M+ monthly active users (multi-device) |
| Content | FAST linear channels | Premium VOD, live sports, originals |
| Audience | Premium Samsung TV households; passive viewer | Broad India streaming audience; active selector |
| ACR data | Yes — cross-screen viewing data | No — app data only |
| Floor CPM | ₹80–200 | ₹250–1,500+ |
| Buying route | Samsung Ads direct / programmatic | JioHotstar direct / limited programmatic |