Warner Bros. Discovery shifts gear on FAST channel strategy

Warner Bros. Discovery’s MotorTrend Group has launched a FAST channel on streaming platform Samsung TV Plus in the US and Canada. The channel will carry content from the archive of MotorTrend, which also has a traditional cable channel.

The channel is Warner Bros. Discovery’s first non-news FAST channel – and signifies growing interest among SVOD platforms in the AVOD space. To date, Paramount, via its Pluto service, and Fox Entertainment, via Tubi, have led the sector’s expansion.

The adoption of the new channel is the latest in a series of high-profile moves by Samsung TV Plus across its portfolio of country by country services. Takashi Nakano, senior director of content acquisitions and business development at Samsung TV Plus, said the platform is “committed to strengthening partnerships with leading content creators and networks, including MotorTrend – a marquee brand well-established as a mark of authority in the automotive space and among car enthusiasts.”

Nakano added: “By working with trusted brands to deliver premium programming in categories we know consumers love, we enable our viewers to experience Samsung TV Plus like traditional TV – but with the dynamic capabilities unique to streaming.”

In a separate announcement, Hearst Media Production Group announced the launch of pet-themed FAST channel Rovr Pets on Samsung TV Plus in the US.