News breaking on FAST channels across India

Global media freedom is a privilege many of us take as a right. Access to free and unbiased news is especially pertinent in today's world of fake news and the proliferation of sources. But while the ways to access news are more prolific than ever, there is something about the enduring power of the TV in delivering the news. According to a Reuters study in 2022, nearly 60% of the nation stated TV is the preferred news source.

Rolling news channels, the kind we are accustomed to seeing on broadcast television, continue to be considered by many as the authority on what is happening in the world today. Delivered through the biggest screen in the house, it is these channels that the audiences turn to to help them navigate through the complicated world of modern news.

But TV news is finding a new home these days outside of traditional terrestrial. FAST (free, ad-supported streaming television) marries the best of the lean-back linear experience of broadcast with the targeting capabilities of digital, and is helping news publishers in India find new audiences for their content.

FAST: a new home for news

The expansion of news to FAST platforms is an exciting shift for CTV. For viewers, it means they can access an even larger plethora of news sources, particularly from global outlets they may not otherwise have had access to. For news publishers, it means they can extend the reach of their content to audiences who may have otherwise not been exposed to, especially if those audiences exclusively stream and watch no linear TV. And for advertisers, it means they’re able to target these informed audiences and understand more about their news-watching behaviours.

As the number #1 global TV manufacturer for 17 consecutive years, Samsung understands how today’s modern TV viewer wants to engage with news and how to marry the best parts of the rolling news linear format with the advanced technologies of digital channels.

Its own FAST service - Samsung TV Plus - launched a slate of new FAST news channels in the past year. Samsung TV Plus launched in 2015, first in the US before expanding to 24 other markets and finally arriving in India in 2021. Globally, it has more than 2,000 channels - but India was one of the fastest markets to reach 100 channels - the first APAC market to do so.. As the country heads into an election year, the expansion of FAST news channels is serving a strong, engaged and growing audience.

Learning from the linear playbook

Rolling news is the product of linear TV. Whether the soundtrack to the day for office workers, or parents as they get kids ready for school. For streaming-first viewers however, this is an up until now, lost phenomenon. So, streaming-first viewers have largely been lost to news publishers. The growing influence of technology in the country is reflected in how people source the news. A recent report asserted that India is a strongly mobile-focused market, with 72 percent accessing news through their smartphones, yet 59% getting their source of news from TV.

FAST however, presents an antidote - from both the viewers and content publishers perspective. Particularly in India where audiences are demonstrating a significantly strong appetite for content on FAST services more generally. On Samsung Smart TV in India approximately 89% of all TV time is spent streaming. Within streaming, ad-supported streaming has the highest share of time spent and is also the fastest growing. Ad-funded and FAST environments have grown 24% YoY in the first half of this year.

The expanding news offering therefore, on Samsung TV Plus, is tapping into new audiences for news publishers already very engaged and accustomed to the format. Allowing the extended reach of content in a format which news publishers are used to; rolling live updates on events happening around the world and local to particular regions broken up intermittently by ads. These ads however, delivered on the FAST rolling news channels, are benefited by all the targeting capabilities on smart TVs.

Going local

Local news channels present a particular area of growth opportunity for FAST news channels; delivers increased audience engagement opportunities. Samsung TV Plus’ local news channels in India - of which it has launched 20 channels with content partners Zee News, ABP News, Times, TV9 and TV 18 - deliver curated content that connects with specific audiences on an emotional level. This is heightened in an election year where local topics take centre stage. Advertisers, in these localised news settings, are able to push the boundaries of the creative possibility when capturing precise and highly engaged consumer demographics on large screens.

Engaging with audiences in these settings allows advertisers to demonstrate their understanding and connection with the consumers, and earn increased loyalty. This sort of FAST channel-level targeting, reminiscent of traditional TV targeting methods, caters to advertisers’ need to reach specific demographics. Indicative of the plethora of options available for advertisers to utilise on CTV in order to reach specific audiences. Essentially, FAST News channels, when incorporated effectively into a regional campaign, offer an exciting opportunity for advertisers to achieve highly targeted incremental reach, and fully extend the value of a campaign.

The linguistic landscape of India adds a layer of complexity when it comes to engaging nationwide audiences. Audiences are more at risk of feeling disengaged with messaging and news topics. delivered by a service that does not consider the importance of regional languages. To combat this, Samsung TV Plus ensures its news channels are presented by those who speak a range of the languages from across the country. The current split on Samsung TV Plus across news channels is 40% in Hindi, 30% in English and the rest in regional languages,reflecting Samsung TV Plus’ commitment to serving everyone in India with content that truly matters to them.

Thirsty for more

News channels, by their nature, serve an audience with a strong appetite for news. This audience is likely looking for news from multiple different sources. Especially in an election year where free and reliable news is so crucial to those making a decision about who to vote for.

Samsung TV Plus is serving this need, through committing to delivering free and relevant new programming. To be the first market in APAC for Samsung to reach one hundred channels is testament to this, with news emerging as a significant segment of the offering, a reflection of the appetite for FAST news content in the nation.

The growth in streamed news channels has given space for regional and national news outlets to increase the reach of their content. Through investing in FAST, news content producers become more ubiquitous and, importantly, easily accessible for the desired target audience.

The news industry is a growing sector, and FAST is emerging as fertile ground for it to flourish. Benefitting viewers - with relevant, reliable information, publishers - with increased opportunity to extend the reach of content and advertisers - with unparalleled spaces to engage with audiences.