Observed Signal · Oct 15, 2025 · Partnership · Source: Adzine · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Samsung Ads Tackles TV Fragmentation with Data-Driven Insights
Christian Russ of Samsung Ads discusses Cannes insights on data-driven TV and fragmentation. AI, including Agentic AI, and Connected TV were prominent, with Creator Economy and YouTube on smart TVs, alongside Joyn's community-focused approach. He notes younger viewers favor streaming while linear TV remains relevant for older audiences; 74% of users start on the smart TV home screen rather than the program, a key branding touchpoint. On data strategy, Samsung Ads plans to merge device data with third-party datasets from MasterCard, Axiom, and AZ Bertelsmann to derive audience-based insights, and it is a founding member of Project Origin in the UK. Market initiatives—AGF (Germany), Médiamétrie (France), and Project Origin (UK)—seek to merge datasets, often starting with panel data and gradually incorporating device data. First-party data from Samsung devices and smartphones is central, with explicit consent, and potential for cross-device targeting and attribution.
Industry-wide data unification and fragmentation trends; cross-market initiatives and branding implications
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Samsung Ads plans to merge device data with third-party datasets from MasterCard, Axiom, and AZ Bertelsmann to derive audience-based insights.
- Samsung Ads is a founding member of Project Origin in the UK.
- Cannes discussions highlighted AI (including Agentic AI), Creator Economy, and Connected TV, with YouTube on smart TVs and Joyn pursuing community-driven formats.
- 74% of smart TV users start on the home screen rather than the program, highlighting a branding touchpoint.
- Market movements include bid-request transparency, the formation of household graphs and data cleanrooms, and initiatives by AGF (Germany), Médiamétrie (France), and Project Origin (UK).
Connected Companies & Entities
4 Entities mappedRelated Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Samsung Ads Report: Fragmented CTV Viewing Patterns
Samsung Ads’ Behind the Screens 2026 report, built on first-party data from more than 70 million Samsung smart TVs in Europe and supported by custom consumer research, finds that Connected TV viewing is highly fragmented. The report shows an average of five apps per household in 2025 and 18.4 billion app launches (up 8% year‑over‑year). Younger viewers use ~21% more apps and follow content across subscription and free services rather than staying loyal to platforms. No single environment captures the full CTV audience (24% of Samsung TVs account for 81% of linear viewing; 27% stream and never watch linear). The TV home screen is a primary discovery moment (accessed >5x per day; ~90% use it to choose what to watch). Samsung highlights advertiser opportunities and measurement tools (e.g., TotalView™) to address reach and planning across linear, streaming and gaming.
Samsung Ads: CTV Is More Than Streaming
Samsung Ads' Matt Bryan argues that CTV should be defined as data-rich advertising beyond traditional streaming, encompassing all activity on Smart TVs. In a VideoWeek interview filmed at Roadmap in London, Bryan explains that Smart TV data captures user interactions across streaming, gaming, and linear TV on the device, enabling advertisers to run holistic campaigns that span multiple media types. The discussion touches on home screen ads and the broader connected-home ecosystem as ways to bolster CTV strategies. The piece positions Samsung Ads as advocating for an integrated, device-centric approach to cross-media planning, using first-party data and device signals to improve targeting and measurement across screens.
Google Antitrust Ruling Spares Ad Stack, Pressures Trade Desk
A federal judge ruled that Google must open up its ad exchange and publisher ad server to more competition but stopped short of forcing a breakup of its adtech stack. The remedies include connecting AdX and DFP to Prebid, requiring equal terms for AdX bids on alternative servers, curbing self-preferencing, and sharing auction data. For The Trade Desk, which has positioned itself as the neutral alternative to Google's walled gardens, this outcome weakens its core pitch: a fairer and more transparent auction reduces the urgency for publishers to seek alternatives like OpenPath. The article also notes that Google's decision to keep third-party cookies has already slowed adoption of alternative IDs like UID2.0. Analysts suggest The Trade Desk's narrative is shifting towards CTV and agentic advertising as the open-web competition with Google evolves.
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