TLDR
Samsung Ads confirmed at its first Australian upfront that the Samsung TV home screen can be bought programmatically through existing demand-side platforms, with local access expected by end of 2026. Streaming accounts for 73% of total TV viewing time, according to Samsung Ads' Australian viewing insights, making the placement the first thing most viewers see before choosing any app.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The home screen as a DSP line item
Samsung Ads told its first Australian upfront that agencies will be able to buy the Samsung TV home screen programmatically in Australia, with availability expected by the end of 2026.[3] The inventory runs on Magnite's SpringServe, so buyers plan, target and activate it through the demand-side platforms (DSPs) they already use. When Samsung announced programmatic home screen buying globally in June, it named The Trade Desk and Google's Display and Video 360 (DV360) as the first DSPs and said the rollout would begin in the third quarter.[1]
Two home screen formats are in beta for the fourth quarter: Video Masthead and 3D Video, both seen before a viewer has opened any streaming app. Samsung Ads also brought Optimal Reach to Australia in beta, giving buyers a unified view of reach across linear and streaming TV, and said its Smart Outcomes targeting is now available.[3]
Samsung describes Samsung TV Plus as the number one free ad-supported streaming service, on hundreds of millions of Samsung TVs, and says Samsung Ads serves more than 25 countries.[1] MediaPost notes Samsung does not disclose its active smart TV household count.[2]
Samsung TV Plus carries more than 200 free channels in Australia, and Mamamia will add a 24/7 channel in early 2027.[3]
What Australian agencies said
Matt Papasavva, chief operating officer of This Is Flow, called it "one of the biggest wins for agencies". "Being able to access the home screen takeover programmatically means we can now bring it into a broader video strategy," he said.[3]
Rebecca Ho, head of investment, Sydney, at Starcom, put it in plainer terms. "It's significant because it brings together three things: impact, scale and flexibility," Ho said.[3] Samsung Ads' Australian viewing insights put streaming at 73% of total TV viewing time, and the home screen ad is seen before any viewing decision is made.[3]
For media buyers, the change is that the Samsung home screen can sit in a plan alongside other connected TV video bought through a DSP. Samsung Ads has not given an exact go-live date beyond the end of 2026.
SOURCES & CITATIONS
Xaviery Malinao writes for Prompt the Market on how brands and agencies are adapting to answer engines, drawing on Bushnote's work with clients across search, AI search and content.
