Advanced Television

Samsung drops download service

July 3, 2014

By Chris Forrester

Samsung is closing its own download video and audio rental and purchase businesses in North America. It has already disabled its own Samsung Video & Media Hub on July 1st in the US, although Samsung’s ‘Smart Hub’ on-screen options will continue to offer viewers and users access to iTunes, Amazon, Netflix, Hulu and other service providers.

Samsung said it is shutting down the Video and Music Hub “as we focus on some exciting new video products,” according to reports.

Samsung had made deals with Disney, Paramount and NBC-Universal, amongst others, where viewers could order up content via their connected Smart TVs.

Meanwhile Samsung is to stop producing plasma TVs by November 30th. It said falling demand meant it would instead focus on producing curved and Ultra-HD TVs.

The South Korean company also said it has received approval to build a $1 billion display module assembly plant in Vietnam, its first production facility in the country.

Categories: Articles, Business, Equipment, Premium, UHD, Ultra-HD/4K, VOD