CNN has been officially unveiled as the latest addition to Samsung’s TV Plus service, in association with Rakuten TV.
Rakuten said in its announcement this week that the expansion will “reach a difficult-to-reach segment of viewers”.
The service was first spotted rolling out on compatible devices earlier this month, where it can be seen in HD on channel 4008. TV Plus appears on all recently produced Samsung Smart TVs. The Rakuten-CNN-Samsung deal covers TV Plus users in UK and Germany.
Jacinto Roca, CEO and founder at Rakuten TV said: “The addition of CNN to the AVOD platform TV Plus further demonstrates that global superbrands are recognizing how we’re bringing together the beauty of television with the brains of smart, digital TVs, to reflect how audiences watch – and expect to watch – content in 2021. The on-demand industries are ripe for innovation, and by opening the door for business brands to get in front of hard-to-reach audiences, Rakuten TV is leading from the front.”
Rakuten is one of a number of operators supplying linear channels to Samsung TV Plus platform. TV Plus channels appear on compatible Samsung TVs via the device’s internet connection from channel 4000. This is on top of any local terrestrial or satellite broadcasts (not all Samsung TVs support satellite TV).