iWorld
Samsung’s free video service TV Plus launches in India
KOLKATA: India’s online video ecosystem has seen exponential growth in the last couple of years, especially after the pandemic. All the tech, media, and electronic giants are eying to capitalise on the booming OTT space.
Samsung is the latest addition to the list, with the launch of Samsung TV Plus, a service which offers its smart TV users free TV content, as well as ad-supported select live channels and on-demand videos, with no additional device such as a set top box. To access the service, all that the consumers will need is a Samsung Smart TV (2017 model onwards) and an internet connection.
With the introduction of TV Plus, consumers will get instant access to exciting content across genres such as news, lifestyle, technology, gaming and science, sports and outdoors, music, movies and bingeable shows, without any subscription.
TV Plus will also be available on most Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablet devices with O OS or higher software version. Services for Galaxy smartphones are expected in April 2021. The TV Plus app can be downloaded from both the Samsung Galaxy Store and Google Play Store.
The innovative service is being introduced keeping in mind the change in consumer behaviour during the pandemic led lockdown period, when consumers, especially millennials and Gen Z, began to explore their televisions more and more for new and exciting content. In India, Samsung TV Plus will immediately be live across all Smart TV models from 2017 to 2021 and users will be able to access 27 global and local channels. More partners will be on-boarded soon to make the service more robust.
“Over the last one year, consumers have been spending more time at home. Their television sets and smartphones have become the centers of their lives, for both entertainment as well as information. We also noticed that consumers now immensely value great media content, the reason why we chose to introduce Samsung TV Plus in India. Over the next few months, we expect to scale TV Plus to add more channels and content,” Samsung India services director Reshma Prasad Virmani said.
Samsung is India’s top brand of televisions for over a decade and offers a range of smart TVs, ranging from Rs 18,900 to Rs 15,79,900.
With the launch in India, Samsung TV Plus is now available in 14 countries including the US, Canada, Korea, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, UK, Italy, France, Spain, Australia, Brazil and Mexico.
iWorld
Netflix cuts jobs in product division amid restructuring
Layoffs hit creative studio unit as leadership and strategy shifts unfold.
MUMBAI: The streaming wars may be fought on screen, but the latest plot twist is unfolding behind the scenes. Netflix has reportedly begun laying off several dozen employees from its product division as part of an internal reorganisation, according to a report by Variety. The cuts are believed to have primarily affected the company’s creative studio unit, which works on marketing assets such as in app trailers, promotional visuals and live experience content for the streaming platform.
The company has not disclosed the exact number of employees impacted.
According to the report, the layoffs were not tied to employee performance. Instead, the restructuring eliminated certain roles while other employees were reassigned to different teams within the organisation.
The roles affected are understood to include designers, producers and creative specialists responsible for marketing and brand experience initiatives.
The job cuts come as Netflix adjusts its leadership structure and reshapes its product and creative teams. Last month, Elizabeth Stone was promoted from chief technology officer to chief product and technology officer, giving her oversight of product, engineering and data operations across the company.
Earlier, in December 2025, Netflix also appointed Martin Rose as head of creative for global brand and partnerships, a move seen as part of a broader restructuring of the company’s brand and product functions.
Despite the layoffs, Netflix remains one of the largest employers in the streaming sector. The company is estimated to employ around 16,000 people globally, with roughly 70 percent of its workforce based in the United States and Canada. In 2023, the company reported approximately 13,000 employees, indicating that its headcount had grown significantly before the latest restructuring.
The workforce changes arrive at a time when Netflix is navigating a shifting financial and strategic landscape in the global entertainment industry.
The streaming giant recently secured $2.8 billion in additional cash after receiving a breakup fee from Paramount Skydance following its withdrawal from a deal involving Warner Bros. Discovery.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Netflix co chief executive Ted Sarandos explained that the company had evaluated multiple scenarios during the negotiations but chose not to match the competing offer once it learned that a higher bid had been submitted.
Netflix had capped its offer at $27.75 per share and ultimately stepped back rather than pursue Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition deal, which included a personal guarantee.
Sarandos also cautioned that the financing structure behind the Paramount Skydance transaction could have ripple effects across the entertainment industry.
According to him, the debt heavy deal could trigger significant cost cutting, with David Ellison, chief executive of Paramount Skydance, expected to eliminate about $16 billion in costs and potentially cut thousands of jobs as part of the integration process.
For Netflix, the current restructuring appears to be part of a broader attempt to streamline operations while continuing to invest in product, technology and global content even as the streaming industry enters a new phase of consolidation and financial discipline.
