Do you own a Samsung television, tablet or smartphone? You may have access to a large collection of free movies and TV and didn’t even know it!
Samsung TV Plus is a free streaming service that is available to consumers who have a device from the popular South Korean technology company. It includes more than 250 livestreaming channels and thousands of TV show and movie titles.
In this article, we’ll walk through what Samsung TV Plus has to offer these days. The company released a revamped version of the product in August 2022.
Table of Contents
- What Is Samsung TV Plus?
- How To Watch
- Content Available on Samsung TV Plus
- User Experience
- Final Thoughts
For the purposes of this review, I downloaded the Samsung TV Plus app on a Samsung Galaxy device and tested it out.
This review is one of many we conducted as a part of our free streaming TV series. You can learn more about our strategies for getting free streaming TV below.
What Is Samsung TV Plus?
Samsung TV Plus is a free streaming service for customers with eligible Samsung devices. This can include one of the company’s high-definition televisions, tablet or smartphones.
With hundreds of live channels and movies available 24 hours a day, this service competes with popular free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) services Pluto TV, Tubi TV and The Roku Channel.
While it does offer some of the same live channels and movies you could find on other FAST services, this service works only on Samsung-supported devices.
How To Watch
Samsung TV Plus is available for download on supported Samsung televisions, tablets and smartphones. You can find this app on the Google Play Store, as Samsung handheld devices operate on the Android platform. You will not find the app in Apple’s App Store.
Samsung televisions are likely to come with this app already loaded, but your handheld devices need to be running on Android 8.0 or higher to be compatible.
You will need a high speed internet connection in order to stream the content. Team Clark recommends speeds of 10 Mbps or more.
You have the option to log in to the app with your Samsung account associated with the device, but you don’t have to sign up to watch this content. And, as I mentioned before, there is no charge for this content, so no credit card is required.
Signing in simply makes it easier to do things like saving your progress in watching a show or setting favorites within the app that will help you access your preferences across different devices.
Content Available To Stream on Samsung TV Plus
Samsung TV Plus comes preloaded with more than 200 livestreaming channels and an on-demand library that has hundreds of hours of TV shows and movies.
For ease of understanding the menu of options, I’ve broken down some of the more popular offerings by genre.
News and Opinion Channels
- CBS News
- FOX Live Now
- ABC News Live
- NBC News Now
- Bloomberg TV
- Cheddar News
- Yahoo! Finance
You’ll notice that many of the top national networks have a 24-hour streaming news channel available on the app. In some markets, you may get a glimpse at some local news. My local CBS affiliate has a streaming channel available on the app. It’s recorded versions of some of the station’s locally produced content instead of live broadcasts.
Sports Channels
- NBC Golf Pass
- Bein Sports Xtra
- fubo Sports Network
- Stadium
- Pac-12 Insider
- ACC Digital Network
You’re not going to get many major live sporting events on this app, but there are some options for the sports fan in your home. Nearly all of the sports channels are of the highlight or analysis variety. Major live sporting events — like those that air on ESPN — are not available on this platform and will almost always require a subscription service.
Entertainment Channels
- Ion
- Stories by AMC
- TV Land Drama
- TV Land Sitcoms
- The Movie Hub
- Game Show Central
Many of these “live” entertainment channels are curations of reruns from specific brands. Still, I found plenty of recognizable show titles showing up on the channel menu. These include The Walking Dead, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, MacGyver, Chicago P.D., Baywatch, 21 Jump Street and more.
Kids Channels
- PBS Kids
- Nick Pluto
- Lego
- Moonbug Kids
- Kidoodle.TV
There is a collection of recognizable children’s shows on PBS Kids and Nick Pluto (Nickelodeon channel for Pluto TV). I did notice that many of these channels required me to log in to my Samsung account in order to view.
Popular On-Demand Movies
In addition to its live streaming channels, Samsung TV Plus also offers on-demand streaming options. These are available at your leisure and do not have to be watched live.
You’ll notice some pretty recognizable mainstream movie stars like Bradley Cooper and Nicolas Cage featured in the available movies.
But you’ll probably also notice that the release dates on most of the films are years or even decades old. Here are some titles that were available in March 2023:
- Pavarotti
- Monster
- Carol
- Lion
- Traitor
- The Package
- Finder’s Fee
- Killshot
The availability of these movies changes often, so you may want to act quickly if you see something you like.
Popular On-Demand TV Shows
Much like the movies, you’ll find some names that are recognizable but also dated:
- The Dick Van Dyke Show
- 21 Jump Street
- Heartland
- Hell’s Kitchen
- Suspects
- Renegade
- Kitchen Nightmares
The availability of these TV shows also changes often, so again, you may want to act quickly if you see something you like.
User Experience
If you’re afraid you might miss the feel of the cable TV interface, I have some good news: Samsung TV Plus mimics that experience with menus and channel surfing capabilities that will remind you of satellite or cable.
You’ll find a familiar channel grid that shows you what is playing on all of the livestreaming channels both now and in the hours to come.
When it comes to on-demand, you’ll also get the “content block” experience provided by many popular video streaming services that allows you to see which content you’ve recently watched or popular shows other people are watching.
How Bad Are the Ads?
When it comes to the livestreaming channels, you’re at the mercy of the ad strategy for each individual channel. Most of those try to mimic traditional over-the-air broadcasts with commercial breaks spread intermittently through a half-hour or hour-long program.
This typically gives you somewhere between six and eight minutes of commercials for every half hour.
The on-demand content has ads at the beginning of the movie or TV. These are typically 30-second spots, and you won’t be able to skip them. There are more of these same style ads spaced throughout the recording, typically reappearing every 20-30 minutes.
Final Thoughts on Samsung TV Plus
Still trying to decide whether or not you should add Samsung TV Plus to your streaming portfolio? Here are some pros and cons to think over.
Samsung TV Plus: Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| FREE! | Must have a Samsung device to watch |
| Cable-like experience with recognizable brands and content | No “brand new” episodes of popular content |
| Comes preloaded on most Samsung devices | No DVR functionality on live streams |
Bottom Line
If you have decided that you’re going to quit paying for cable TV and subscription streaming services, I think there are probably better free streaming services out there to try before landing on this one. I’d recommend checking out Pluto TV, The Roku Channel and Tubi TV first.
Of course, the beauty of free streaming services is that you can add them all to your TV or device to decide for yourself with no financial obligation.
So, if you already have a Samsung device in your household, you’re probably best served by testing this service out for yourself for a few days. Remember, there’s no risk.
Do you have experience watching the Samsung TV Plus streaming service? We’d love to hear your thoughts in our Clark.com community!
