Americans will be able to access 80 cable channels for free through Samsung smart TV sets from this year. Similar service would be available in Europe, allowing Germans to watch 40 pay TVs for free on Samsung sets.

The plan was announced during Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2019, world’s largest IT trade show, in Las Vegas on Wednesday, local time.

Samsung Electronics said that it will increase the number of free channels accessible on its smart TVs in the United States from current 30 to 80 by the end of this year, allowing consumers free connection without subscribing to paid cable service.

The Korean company also plans to expand local partnership in Europe to secure 40 free channels in Germany.

Samsung Electronics’ announcement comes at a time when the overall trend of watching TV has changed greatly. A growing number of consumers now enjoy Internet streaming services and become so-called cord cutters to watch videos over broadcasting option. They also watch TVs in the form of binge-watching where they watch TV for a long time span.

Samsung Electronics said that there is a growing number of consumers using smart TVs as they allow them easier access to contents as compared to other media streaming devices such as Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast, and Roku Streaming Stick as they find it more difficult to search videos of their choice due to more complex content source.

Samsung Electronics also plans to expand advertising video on-demand (A-VOD) content provided by its smart TVs to cope with changes in consumer pattern. The A-VOD service allows consumers to consume free content just by watching certain advertisement in between.

Samsung Electronics said it plans to secure additional service applications such as with Walt Disney and in sports and broadcasting in the U.S. It will also expand new application in Europe through its Pan-European Network Service.

Samsung Electronics, meanwhile, has sold an accumulated 110 million smart TVs so far with annual sales of about 30 million units.

By Kim Gyu-sik and Lee Eun-joo

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]