Samsung Ads India introduces sponsored row feature to enhance content discoverability on Samsung TVs

Samsung Ads has unveiled a new discovery solution for content partners seeking to drive more audiences to their featured content on Samsung TVs.

Located alongside viewers’ organic personalised recommendations and recently viewed content, the new ‘Sponsored Row’ spotlights advertisers’ premier content and provides another pathway to discovering new TV content, which may otherwise be missed during today’s fast pace of content releases.

According to a recent Study by NOW, audiences spend an average of 24 minutes a week deciding what to watch. On average there are over 354 million apps opened within a single month on Samsung Smart TVs.

The television industry is growing quickly, with an increasing number of shows and platforms being introduced each month. Additionally, four out of every five households with Samsung Smart TVs use the built-in operating system to watch content instead of using an external device. Because of this, Samsung is making efforts to enhance the discoverability of content on its devices. They are doing this by introducing the Sponsored Row feature on the TV home screen. Samsung hopes that this will improve user experiences and help their content partners attract more attention in a crowded market.

The Sponsored Row ads take the user directly from the home screen to the selected content within the relevant channel or app, and sit alongside personalised organic recommendations.

Sponsored Row ads offer a unique opportunity for content partners to reach users moments after they turn on their TV, without having to scroll excessively or search, helping them break out of cycles of familiarity and enjoy more of what their Samsung Smart TV has to offer. What’s more, advertisers will gain access to insights from how users have interacted with the ads, which they can leverage to enhance future campaigns.

A recent Samsung Ads study, ‘Is TV just TV?’ found that 65% of viewers become frustrated after just a few minutes of struggling to choose something to watch. In fact, almost half will be so overwhelmed they will end up watching nothing at all.

Prabhvir Sahmey, senior director, Samsung Ads India, said: “How consumers interact with the screen is evolving, and in a world of endless content choices new solutions like Sponsored Row can help create more efficient connections for content partners to reach new audiences, and for audiences to discover new content more seamlessly.”

Sam Cooke, head of product marketing, Samsung Ads India, “According to research 79% of viewers look to their TV’s home screen to help them find new content to watch. With today’s crowded TV landscape, content owners need ways of improving discoverability to cut through the noise.”