Samsung this week unveiled its first-ever creator original content deal with Dhar Mann Studios for its Samsung TV Plus FAST service, alongside exclusive, dedicated free streaming channels featuring other popular creators. It’s a move that bolsters and further shapes the smart TV-maker’s approach to bringing creators and their content into the TV fold.
It’s no secret that consumers are spending time with and have an affinity for creators and the content they produce. And many in the streaming space are trying to figure out and pursue different avenues in terms of how to leverage the popularity and fandom of creators and potentially translate them to platforms that typically offer more traditional long-form and premium scripted content like TV series and movies.
YouTube’s growing dominance on CTV is yet another factor likely influencing the need for streaming services and platforms alike to figure out a creator strategy of their own.
But with Monday’s announcement, Samsung is not only exploring but appears to be refining the creator strategy for Samsung TV Plus. The original creator content deal follows on the heels of Samsung’s NewFronts presentation in May, where execs said the FAST was doubling down on top creators as part of its programming strategy and previously disclosed most of the additional creator partners that were also named this week.
In terms of creators, Samsung is focusing on top storytellers and voices across different genres, including those already experienced with scripted, and bringing their content together “into a carefully curated package for the biggest screen in the home.”
So while some of the creators Samsung TV Plus has partnered with started out or found a home and large following on YouTube, it’s not looking to serve viewers short-form user-generated cat videos (at least at this point).
So which creators are joining Samsung TV Plus?
Samsung inked an exclusive, first-of-a-kind deal with Dhar Mann Studios, which includes developing 13 original episodes that will premiere on the dedicated Dhar Mann TV FAST channel.
Per Samsung, Mann is known for his “uplifting, family-friendly dramas tackling universal human truths…”.
A popular YouTuber with 25.7 million subscribers on the social video platform, Mann already regularly produces longer-form scripted content with plenty of 20-minute or so long videos.
“This is a major milestone for us as storytellers and producers,” said Mann in a statement. “Creating original episodes for Samsung TV Plus allows us to expand the reach of our mission, and bring purposeful, uplifting stories directly into even more people’s homes. It’s a powerful new chapter—not just for our shows, but for how Creators can lead on streaming.”
Sean Atkins, CEO of Dhar Mann Studios said in a LinkedIn post that the originals deal with Samsung TV Plus is “a new blueprint for how platforms and creators can partner at scale.”
“Samsung brought the infrastructure, tech, and global reach. We brought the audience insight, speed, promotion and mission,” Atkin’s post continued.
While creators can have large followings of their own, Samsung indeed offers scale across its global device ecosystem as well as the 88 million monthly active user count for Samsung TV Plus.
Another addition to Samsung TV Plus’ creator lineup is former NASA engineer turned YouTube creator Mark Rober. Known for family-friendly STEM-focused videos, Rober has nearly 70 million subscribers and inked an exclusive FAST deal for The Mark Rober TV channel.
“Bringing my work to Samsung TV Plus means sharing the wonder of science and engineering with even more families," said Rober in a statement.” This is about bringing curiosity and creativity front and center, right where the family gathers.”
Samsung announced Mann and Rober partnerships earlier this year at NewFronts as well as other creators who are now getting exclusive channels including Michelle Khare, Smosh, The Try Guys, Epic Gardening, The Sorry Girls and Donut Media. Together, Samsung’s newest creator partners bring a combined subscribership of over 175 million.
The dedicated creator channels are set to arrive on Samsung TV Plus in the coming months with Dhar Mann episodes arriving later this year.
“Samsung TV Plus is building a home for today’s top Creators on FAST, bringing their content into a premium, curated environment designed for the biggest screen in the home,” said Salek Brodsky, SVP and Global Head of Samsung TV Plus, in a statement. “This marks a new era where the most innovative and influential storytellers can reach audiences at scale in a way that elevates their voice and preserves creative intent.”
Samsung has previously tapped into leading entertainment voices and popular creator content like Mythical, Hot Ones, and MrBeast, as well as those from the more traditional TV sphere like dedicated channels for late-night legends David Letterman and Conan O’Brien.
As seen with the latest expansion, Samsung isn’t trying to simply port social video into linear streams on the TV screen but instead evolve the model while maintaining a premium video environment where creators also have a role. And as an ad-supported service, Samsung TV Plus is certainly trying to engage viewers but a related aim is to drive ad revenue – that business goal is one where the platform has previously emphasized prioritizing brand-safe programming and appears to be staying the course even as it brings social video creators into the mix.
The curation aspect is also key.
Speaking to StreamTV Insider on the sidelines of Samsung’s NewFronts presentation earlier this year, Brodsky described how the FAST doesn’t want to present viewers with a bunch of haplessly aggregated clips or content stitched together by an algorithm, but instead offer creator-driven channels that are produced and packaged with a TV-first viewing experience in mind – noting that was done with the Letterman and O’Brien channels.
“There’s an art to actually packaging the programming and creating an entire experience around the creator brands. And that's what we're proud of,” Brodsky told STV Insider in May, adding “now we’re just hitting the gas.”