Why Samsung Ads wants advertisers and brands to come Home

Samsung Ads held its Australian NewFront at IMAX Sydney today, using the venue’s screen to present its Connected TV offering across advertising, measurement and content on Samsung TV Plus.

The presentation aimed to highlight how beneficial and effective advertising on the Samsung Home Screen is.

The NewFront comes as Australian viewing habits shift. Samsung Ads’ Australian viewing insights show streaming now accounts for 73% of viewing time, while total viewing hours rose 6% year-on-year. Samsung TV Plus is now the number-one streaming app on Samsung Smart TVs in Australia.

Alex Spurzem, Managing Director of Samsung Ads across Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia, said this shift is changing Connected TV's role to become the centre of the connected home and an effective growth engine for advertisers.

“The new innovations we’ve shared at today’s NewFront 2026 event were built with the purpose to make Connected TV advertising experiences more impactful for our partners, and help advertisers navigate and understand the fragmented connected TV environment.

Spurzem continued: “Samsung Ads sits at the intersection of content discovery and audience intelligence, giving us unique insights into how people watch and engage with television.

"Our solutions are designed to help brands move beyond reach alone, delivering more effective ways to activate campaigns and clearer measurement of outcomes across the Connected TV ecosystem.”

Samsung Ads and Kantar: Home Screen ads work beyond awareness

Samsung Ads and Kantar analysed 13 Samsung TV Home Screen campaigns across six product categories and surveyed nearly 4,500 respondents. They found lifts across the brand funnel, not just in awareness.

Home Screen ads were 2.4 times stronger at driving consideration and 1.7 times more effective at building brand favourability than Kantar digital norms.

Samsung Ads is also adding Home Screen formats. Video Masthead will put video on the Home Screen when viewers turn on their TV, and 3D Video will offer another creative option. Both are in beta and will be available to advertisers in Q4.

Home Screen inventory will also be available through programmatic buying for the first time, with Australian advertisers able to access it by the end of the year. Powered by Magnite’s SpringServe, the capability will let advertisers plan, target, and activate placements through leading demand-side platforms and existing buying workflows.

Richard Wheeler, Samsung Ads Sales Director, told attendees: “The Home Screen is the answer to fragmentation.”

READ MORE: Samsung awards media account to Publicis Groupe

Optimal Reach to give advertisers one view of reach across Samsung TV

Samsung Ads has announced Optimal Reach, a tool that gives advertisers a single view of total ad reach across the Samsung Smart TV ecosystem, covering both linear TV and streaming.

Optimal Reach is in beta in Australia and will be available to advertisers in Q4. It identifies audience duplication and unreached viewers, so advertisers can plan, target and measure campaigns using one view of TV performance and add incremental reach through Samsung TV Plus video and TV Home Screen advertising. It has already launched in the US, Canada, the UK and Germany.

Samsung Ads is also expanding its lower funnel offering with Smart Outcomes, which is now available to advertisers in Australia. Using Samsung audience intelligence and machine learning, it identifies households more likely to act and can optimise towards website visitation, website conversion and app acquisition.

Virgile Edragas, Head of Data and Analytics for APAC at Samsung Ads said: “As Connected TV becomes more sophisticated, effectiveness must go hand in hand with responsible data practices.

“Samsung Ads is focused on helping advertisers use select audience content insights to deliver more relevant, measurable campaigns. Through Smart Outcomes, our partners can optimise campaigns towards the outcomes that matter, while offering audiences content and messaging that is relevant and valuable to them.”

Samsung TV Plus passes 200 channels, adds Mamamia and Luke Nguyen

Samsung TV Plus, the company’s subscription-free streaming service, now carries more than 200 channels across entertainment, news and creator-led programming.

In early 2027, it will launch Mamamia’s first 24/7 channel, with more than 100 hours of the publisher’s lifestyle, culture and entertainment content. It is also working with chef, restaurateur, author and TV presenter Luke Nguyen on his first Australian-based production, a daily cooking show filmed in food markets across Australia.

READ MORE: Samsung TV Plus expands global creator lineup with new partnerships

The service has more than 10 dedicated news channels and plans to expand its local, finance, entertainment, international and multilingual news and current affairs offering. CNA International and CNA Original will join the line-up later this year.

Samsung Television Network (STN), launched recently, curates programming from across Samsung TV Plus into one scheduled channel, including live news, creator-led programming, themed blocks, live events and specials. It gives audiences a familiar schedule with the flexibility of streaming, and gives advertisers consistent placements across the content.

Sam Hall, Head of Business Development for Samsung TV Plus Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia, said: “We’re focused on giving Australians content they want to come back to every day.”

“We're investing in local creators like Luke Nguyen and Mamamia, delivering essential live news from around the world, and now launching Samsung Television Network, making TV Australians know and love discoverable in one curated destination.”