You can add Samsung to the growing roster of companies planning to offer a subscription streaming video service sometime soon. According to Bloomberg, the South Korean company has entered into preliminary talks with several broadcast networks about how much licensing their content would cost. Talks are in their early stages notes the report, but Samsung is exploring a streaming TV service to be bundled with its smart TVs and mobile phones to help drive adoption of both.
Like most streaming providers, Samsung was quick to try and convince the broadcast industry that their effort would be complementary to -- and not in competition with -- the sector -- even if such promises usually aren't true.
“Our approach is to continue to develop strategic collaborations with content partners rather than compete with them,” Samsung said in a statement.
Numerous companies have struggled to secure the necessary licensing deals while still managing to keep the cost of such a service down. Apple has been planning a subscription TV service for years that has
repeatedly stalled due to broadcaster hesitation at real sector disruption. Still, a growing number of companies are now getting deals done, opening the door to a flood of new streaming services slated for launches either in 2016 or 2017.