If you own a Samsung television, there's a slew of new channels coming free of charge.
UKTV, a subsidiary of BBC Studios that launched back in 2019 and is behind brands like U&Dave, U&Drama, U&W, and U&Yesterday, covering comedy, drama, factual, and entertainment, is bringing its lineup to Samsung TVs for the first time.
The channels will be delivered internet-only, so there's no need to worry about plugging in an aerial to access these linear channels. UKTV, which underwent a dramatic rebrand to "U" a few years ago, is already available on Sky TV, Virgin Media TV, Freeview, and its successor, Freely.
UKTV, which is a spin-off of BBC Studios, offers ad-supported viewing across several channels, including U&Dave, U&Drama, U&W, U&Yesterday, Gold, Alibi, and Eden
| UKTV PRESS OFFICEAs part of the new agreement struck between Samsung — the biggest television brand worldwide for the last 20 consecutive years — and UKTV, the former will add a dedicated carousel on its home screen which spotlights content from the U streaming service.
Given the dizzying scale that Samsung operates, this deal will span millions of Samsung TVs from day one, with additional features within Samsung’s Live tab and Universal Guide to ensure UKTV’s channels and on-demand content remain front and centre for streaming-only audiences.
While the on-demand service U is now available on Samsung TVs, there's more content from UKTV coming soon. Later this year U&DRAMA, U&Dave, U&YESTERDAY, U&W and U&eden will all be delivered to Samsung TV viewers via a deep link from Samsung’s Universal Guide into the U app.
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Discussing the shake-up, Commercial General Manager at UKTV and BBC Studios, Jonathan Newman told GB News: "This new deal builds on our already fruitful and wide-ranging partnership with Samsung. It will make the U app even more accessible to Samsung’s customers and ensure UKTV’s rich mix of content remains highly visible across VOD and linear."
UKTV was launched in the 1990s as a joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Thames Television. It was designed to leverage the BBC archive to bring classic shows to a new audience.
Channels like Dave, which quickly gained popularity based on the strength of the back catalogue, were regularly mocked on shows like Have I Got News For You and Top Gear for the barrage of decades-old repeats that filled its schedule.
In recent years, UKTV has pivoted to focus on more original shows. Hits like Taskmaster were launched exclusively on free-to-air channels like Dave before being acquired by Channel 4.
The free-to-air broadcaster faces increased competition, with the likes of Tubi now available in the UK with thousands of films and series available to stream on-demand for free.
UKTV also has a number of premium offerings — Gold, which is dedicated to classic British comedy, Alibi, which focuses on crime drama series, and Eden, which has a schedule packed with nature and science docu-series — that are only available on paid-for platforms like Sky Q, Sky Stream, Sky Glass, and Virgin Media TV 360.
Dan Harvie, VP of Home Entertainment and Appliances at Samsung UK and Ireland, said: "UKTV is a key part of the vast range of entertainment that is included within a Samsung TV. We are always aiming to help our customers enjoy the very best possible entertainment experience and with UKTV we are delivering access to a whole host of different broadcast content.
“As the world's number one TV brand for 20 consecutive years, Samsung is committed to delivering innovation that enhances every aspect of the viewing experience. This collaboration reaffirms our dedication to providing our customers with the ultimate entertainment ecosystem, including the rich content offerings of UKTV alongside the likes of Samsung TV Plus and our built-in broadcast app access."