Samsung TV Plus Touts 60% Global Viewership Increase in 1 Year

 Samsung TV Plus.
Samsung TV Plus.

Samsung said it has seen a 60% year-over-year increase in usage for the free, ad-supported streaming service it supplies for its smart TVs, smartphones and other gadgets, Samsung TV Plus.

Samsung announced the benchmark, along with usual FAST tubthumping of sheer channel volume -- more than 300 available in the U.S. and 2,500 internationally -- as it also touted an update, version 5.2 of the Samsung TV Plus app.

Besides what Samsung describes as "improved content discovery," the update adds a "kids' experience featuring over 20 family-safe channels and popular shows like Teletubbies and Barney."

There's also a new music destination featuring more than 200 playlists and over 40 channels from partners including Vevo, XITE and Stingray.

“With phenomenal year over year growth and an ever-expanding premium lineup of family-friendly shows, music playlists, news, sports programming and more, Samsung TV Plus has a clear foothold in the FAST landscape,” said Salek Brodsky, senior VP and GM of Samsung TV Plus, in a statement.