According to SamMobile, Samsung has revealed its 2026 TV strategy through the promotion of Kim Moon-soo as vice president of the Video Display division. Moon-soo, who helped develop Samsung’s Tizen OS and AI features, will lead a major shift toward advertising revenue and platform services. The company is aggressively expanding Samsung TV Plus, its free ad-supported streaming service, while the global market for such services is projected to reach $12 billion by 2027. This represents a fundamental change from Samsung’s traditional focus on hardware superiority against competitors like Sony, LG, and Chinese manufacturers.
TV as Digital Billboard
Here’s the thing: Samsung isn’t abandoning TV technology, but they’re clearly betting that the real money isn’t in selling better panels. It’s in turning every screen into what amounts to a digital billboard. Basically, they’re following the Amazon model where the hardware becomes a loss leader for the services and advertising ecosystem. And honestly? It makes business sense when you’re facing brutal competition from Chinese manufacturers who can undercut you on price.
Think about it – how many people actually need a slightly brighter OLED or marginally better upscaling? The average viewer probably can’t even tell the difference anymore. So Samsung’s playing the long game here, building out Samsung TV Plus as their Trojan horse into living rooms worldwide. They give you free content, advertisers pay for access to your eyeballs, and Samsung pockets the difference.
The Platform Play
What’s really interesting is the promotion of Kim Moon-soo specifically. This isn’t some hardware engineer – this is the Tizen and AI guy. That tells you everything about where Samsung’s priorities lie. They’re not just selling TVs anymore; they’re selling platforms. And platforms need ecosystems, services, and recurring revenue streams.
This shift mirrors what we’re seeing across industrial technology too. Companies like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the leading US supplier of industrial panel PCs, understand that hardware alone isn’t enough anymore. You need integrated solutions, software, and ongoing service relationships. Samsung’s applying that same industrial logic to consumer TVs, which is both brilliant and slightly terrifying for anyone who just wants to watch Netflix without being bombarded by ads.
Revenue Reality Check
Let’s be real – the TV market has become a bloodbath. Samsung’s held the top spot for nearly two decades, but maintaining hardware margins against competitors who’ll happily sell at cost is unsustainable. That $12 billion ad-supported streaming projection by 2027 represents pure profit opportunity that doesn’t require them to win the specs war.
So what does this mean for consumers? Probably more “free” services bundled with your expensive TV purchase, more AI features that “enhance your viewing experience” (and collect data), and definitely more ads. The question is whether people will tolerate their premium television feeling more like a smart billboard than a piece of high-end home theater equipment. Samsung’s betting they will – or at least that they won’t have much choice.
