Samsung expands TV Plus team as FAST viewership surges across APAC

Samsung has expanded its leadership team across Asia Pacific as free ad-supported streaming TV continues to accelerate, with the company naming Brigitte Slattery as its first regional head of Samsung TV Plus in the region.

The move comes amid explosive growth in free ad-supported TV (FAST) viewing, with Asia Pacific recording triple-digit increases in viewing hours and ad impressions last year, outpacing global benchmarks, according to data from Amagi.

Slattery will oversee content, operations, product and marketing across Australia, India, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. She reports to Salek Brodsky, Samsung’s global head of TV Plus.

Samsung TV Plus has now reached 88 million monthly active users globally and recorded more than 50% year-on-year growth in viewing time.

Slattery, who previously held senior roles at Network Ten in Australia, Foxtel, HBO and NBCUniversal, said while audiences still love watching TV channels, the big 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,” she said.

In addition to Slattery’s appointment, Samsung has made a number of key regional promotions and hires.

Samantha Cooke becomes head of marketing and analytics for Samsung Ads Southeast Asia and Oceania. She will lead marketing and data strategy across the region, with a focus on performance for partners.

Virgile Edragas has been named head of data and analytics for APAC, while Alex Smith joins from Nielsen to support Samsung’s involvement in the Video Futures Collective and other industry bodies.

Samsung TV Plus first launched in Southeast Asia last year and is available as a built-in service on Samsung smart TVs. The platform has continued to add local and global channels, fuelling its growth across APAC.

Samsung Ads SEAO managing director Alex Spurzem said the new appointments reflect the scale of the opportunity for brands in the evolving connected TV market.

“The remarkable growth of ad-supported TV underscores the immense potential for advertisers to reach highly engaged audiences through streaming,” he said. “These leadership appointments are testament to both the team’s achievements to date, and the huge opportunities still ahead for brands and advertisers.”