Samsung has made key leadership appointments across its TV services business as ad-supported TV viewing continues to rise. Brigitte Slattery has been named the first regional head of Samsung TV Plus in Asia Pacific, overseeing regional content, operations, product, and marketing to drive local growth.
Free Ad-Supported TV (FAST) consumption in Asia-Pacific saw significant growth last year, surpassing global trends with triple-digit increases in viewing hours and ad impressions, according to Amagi. Samsung TV Plus expanded in the region, now reaching users in Australia, India, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand after its Southeast Asia launch last year. The platform recorded 88 million monthly active users globally and over 50% year-over-year viewership growth.
Samsung has expanded its leadership team for Samsung TV Plus in Asia-Pacific. Brigitte Slattery has been appointed Regional Head, reporting to Salek Brodsky, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Samsung TV Plus. Slattery has previously worked with Network Ten, Foxtel, HBO, and NBCUniversal.
Samantha Cooke has been promoted to head of marketing and analytics, Samsung Ads Southeast Asia and Oceania. With extensive experience in previous publisher and agency roles, Cooke will lead marketing and data efforts to drive results for partners while fuelling the brand’s regional growth. In addition, Virgile Edragas, has expanded his role to head of data and analytics APAC and Alex Smith joins Samsung Ads after over a decade at Nielsen to lead its role as a founding member of the Video Futures Collective (VFC) and key industry bodies.
"The remarkable growth of ad-supported TV underscores the immense potential for advertisers to reach highly engaged audiences through streaming," said Alex Spurzem, managing director Samsung Ads Southeast Asia, and Oceania (SEAO). "These leadership appointments are testament to both the team’s achievements to date, and the huge opportunities still ahead for brands and advertisers.”
Brigitte Slattery, regional head, Samsung TV Plus, APAC, added, “Audiences still love watching TV channels - the only difference is now they are streaming it. We've made the free TV experience easier and instant, so when you switch on a Samsung TV, you’ve got a great mix of both local and global premium content ready to go.”