Endemol Shine Group Launches TV Plus Channels

Endemol Shine Group has launched three channels on Samsung’s TV Plus service in the U.K.

The first two genre-based channels, curated from Endemol Shine Group’s extensive content library, launched last month. In addition to the three U.K. channels, further channels will be launched in the U.S. and across key European markets in the coming months.

The three U.K. channels available on Samsung’s U.K. TV Plus service are Reel Truth, Masters of Food and All Drama. The Reel Truth channel, which initially launched as a YouTube channel in 2017, will host a variety of documentaries and factual series from around the world such as Crime Investigation Australia, Drug Lords and Richard Hammond’s Engineering Connections. Masters of Food will showcase some of Endemol Shine Group’s extensive food programming, including series from the Australian and Canadian versions of MasterChef. All Drama will be a destination for lovers of global drama, which taps into Endemol Shine Group’s diverse scripted library, delivering critically acclaimed series such as the Australian drama McLeod’s Daughters, the British crime series Wire in the Blood and the Robert Carlyle-fronted mystery drama Hamish McBeth.

To distribute their award-winning content to Samsung’s new internet-based TV Plus service, Endemol Shine Group has partnered with Wurl, a streaming-video distributor that provides advertising services for connected TVs.

Established in 2016, Samsung TV Plus is Samsung’s free ad-supported smart-TV video service. Pre-installed on all 2016-19 Samsung smart TVs, users can instantly watch Endemol Shine Group’s channels for free with just an internet connection.

Kasia Jablonska, head of digital distribution and monetization at Endemol Shine Group, said, “The curation of dynamic channels and delivering our content through OTT platforms is a core focus for our digital business. It’s the space which is about to explode and Endemol Shine is very much a part of the avant-garde. Our partnership with Samsung TV Plus is testament to the enduring appeal of our extensive library of shows, and by working with distribution partners such as Wurl, we are able to meet the demands of our rapidly developing audiences.”

“The future of TV viewing is through connected TVs, and industry titans like Endemol Shine Group are poised for continued success because they’re capitalizing on this shift,” said Sean Doherty, CEO of Wurl. “For video producers, the Wurl Network powers distribution and advertising on the world’s leading video services. We’re proud to support Endemol Shine Group as they continue their international channel expansion.”