Observed Signal · Jun 10, 2026 · Market Research · Source: Adzine · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Smart‑TV Homescreen Becomes a CTV Planning Metric
Samsung Ads' Behind the Screens 2026 report—based on first‑party telemetry from over 73 million connected Samsung TVs in Europe and a survey of 15,000 Smart‑TV owners across Germany, UK, France, Italy and Spain—finds the Smart‑TV homescreen is emerging as a central entry point for viewers. The study reports rising app activity (German app starts rose 5% to 4.83 billion; EU5 app starts up 8% to 18.4 billion) and shows viewers often choose content by title rather than platform. Key implications for advertisers: planning must account for usage that converges on the same device across linear TV, streaming, gaming and app surfaces; AVOD is growing; younger viewers use more apps and move between services; and a small share of households still accounts for most linear TV consumption.
Large first‑party dataset from a major device/platform vendor highlights the Smart‑TV homescreen as a recurring ad contact and signals changes in CTV planning, reach and inventory mix that matter to advertisers and planners.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Samsung Ads report uses first‑party data from more than 73 million connected Samsung TVs in Europe and a survey of 15,000 Smart‑TV owners in Germany, the UK, France, Italy and Spain.
- German households used an average of six apps on TV in 2025; app starts in Germany rose 5% year‑on‑year to 4.83 billion; EU5 app starts rose 8% to 18.4 billion.
- Samsung's Smart‑TV homescreen in Germany was opened more than six billion times in 2025; average return to the homescreen was six times per day; 85% of respondents use the homescreen to select content.
- In Germany, 61% of daily viewing time was streaming and 39% linear TV; 21% of Samsung TVs accounted for 84% of traditional linear TV usage (average 131 hours/month for those households).
- AVOD viewing share in the EU5 rose from 10% to 12% of streaming viewing (a 20% year‑on‑year increase); gaming is highlighted as an engaged CTV audience segment.
Connected Companies & Entities
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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.
Connected TV: The Rise of Mobile-Driven Advertising
ADZINE discusses how Connected TV is reshaping advertising through data-driven integration of TV and mobile signals, with the Homescreen becoming a premier discovery and advertising surface amid growing streaming fragmentation. The Homescreen is described as a high-reach environment where users start their TV journey roughly five times a day and spend over ten minutes browsing, enabling incremental reach and cross-screen campaigns. In Germany, H2 2024 saw 2.3 billion Samsung Smart-TV app launches, up 12% year over year. Europe-wide, 70 million Smart-TVs are linked to 20 million Samsung smartphones to bolster the Second Screen approach. Prime time (21:00–22:00) reveals elevated parallel usage of TV and mobile, with TV usage up 22% and smartphone usage up 28% vs. daily averages. The data strategy relies on explicit user consent, uses first-party data plus mobile signals, includes MMP integrations (USA), and is in beta testing, with early use cases across finance, EVs, and beauty/fashion illustrating potential for mobile-conversion-driven CTV campaigns.
Samsung Study: Fragmentation Shapes TV Usage 2026
Samsung Ads' "Behind the Screens 2026 Report", based on first‑party data from more than 70 million Samsung Smart TVs in Europe plus a consumer survey, finds accelerating fragmentation of TV consumption. German households used an average of six different TV apps in 2025; app starts in Germany rose 5% to 4.83 billion, while the five largest European markets saw app starts grow 8% to 18.4 billion. Younger viewers use ~23% more apps than older cohorts and switch fluidly between paid and free services, following content over platforms. Twenty‑seven percent of devices are streaming‑only; Germany has the highest streaming share in the EU5 (61%). Smart‑TV homescreens are pivotal—accessed more than six times daily and used by 85% to choose content. Samsung Ads also highlights gamers as a valuable advertising audience, citing higher responsiveness to homescreen recommendations and stronger product research behaviour.
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