Mixed-Methods for FAST Positioning and Growth: Samsung TV Plus
Key Decision: Welcome & Value Prop
Original TV Plus welcome screen clarified “Free TV. No login” with an immediate Start Watching path. This set the expectation for instant, no-friction viewing.
Key Decision: Surface Placement
Positioned the TV Plus pane at the far-left, adjacent to the main navigation. Default focus lands here so users see TV Plus first before scanning to third-party apps to the right.
Key Entry Point: On-screen CTA during playback
A subtle prompt at the lower left offers up or down to open the menu and guide, giving a second fast path to browse more channels and on-demand content without exiting.
Key Pattern: Fast path to play + browse
Selecting any channel plays instantly, with the guide one click away. After selection, a mini-guide surfaces related content, and the Discovery button opens the full guide.
Brand research outcome: content-first UI
Darker theme and new TV Plus logo improved legibility and brand clarity. We shifted tiles from channel thumbnails to show and movie art with context (On Now, Live, Recently Watched). Testing showed this was more engaging than logo-only tiles.
Focus:
Startup placement & auto play | Guide & channel strategy | Ad experience & brand clarity
Approach:
Mixed methods | Generative and evaluative | Competitive benchmarking
Methods:
In-home observation | Lab usability on first-run and daily startup | Surveys & behavioral log analysis
Challenge:
Samsung TV Plus was evolving from a paid rental app into a free, ad-supported destination that appears both as an app and via auto-play at TV startup. The challenge: drive traffic and engagement to TV Plus without making startup feel disruptive or burying access to other streaming apps. We also needed to clarify the brand promise, tune guide and channel defaults, and understand how TV Plus stacked up against competitiors.
Process:
I led a mixed-methods program focused on placement and startup behavior, guide IA, channel row defaults, recommendation placement, ad timing and labeling, content mix, and brand positioning. Methods included in-home and lab studies of first-run and daily startup, iterative guide usability, surveys tied to behavioral logs, and a competitive benchmark of Pluto, YouTubeTV, TV Plus, and Xumo to identify winning “speed-to-content” patterns that encourage exploration without lock-in.
Impact:
Startup guidelines made auto-play brief, predictable, and easy to exit; TV Plus entry points were elevated on the home surface; guide layout and channel rows were refined to speed time-to-view and broaden exploration.
An ad playbook set between-show timing and clear labels to protect trust and session health; brand and messaging landed “free, instant, no login” to drive trial.
Public outcomes: Samsung announced 88M monthly active users with 50%+ YoY viewership growth and TV Plus as the #1 most-used app on Samsung TVs in the U.S. (Oct 28, 2024).
In 2025, Samsung reported nearly 700 U.S. channels, 3,500+ global channels across 30 countries, 30%+ YoY engagement growth in Q1, ~70% growth in on-demand titles, and a 177% YoY increase in hours viewed.