LG Channels Users Triple in Europe as Popularity of Fast Services Fuels Growth
LG Expands Local Content, Launches Premium Channels for Movie Buffs and
Drama Aficionados, and Delivers Enhanced Cross-Device User Experience
SEOUL, April 17, 2023 — LG Electronics’ (LG) exclusive, free streaming service, LG Channels, has tripled its user base in Europe over the last year. The strong growth reflects the increasing popularity of LG’s premium service and of free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) in Europe and worldwide. LG Channels was first launched in 2016 in the U.S. and in 2019 in select European countries.
According to LG data as of January 2023, the number of LG Channels users in the 16 European markets where the service is offered grew by a factor of three. This significant boost in active users represents an increase of over 200 percent. Along with this, there has been a noteworthy uptick in viewing time across several content categories, including movies, TV series, music and news.
Industry experts expect the global growth of FAST services and channels to continue with the U.K. and Germany anticipated to be among the biggest FAST markets by 2027.1 To meet the growing demand for FAST, LG will bolster its service with new content – more of which will be made available on the LG Channels mobile app2 – and convenient, new features to enhance viewing pleasure and the user experience.
LG Channels is constantly expanding its content library and is offering an increasing number of local-language channels, spanning diverse categories such as news, lifestyle, TV series, movies and sports. When it comes to sports, thanks to a new partnership with DAZN, LG Channels will feature the new DAZN FAST and newly announced DAZN Rise, the first 24/7 streaming channel dedicated purely to women sports.3 Through a new partnership with Funke Digital, LG Channels now provides access to a variety of FAST channels covering some of the best fiction and entertainment contents, with plenty of films including PLAION’s Netzkino, ranging from action to thriller, comedy and romance.
To give users more options when viewing on-the-go, LG has also expanded content availability on the LG Channels mobile app. In Germany, users can now watch hundreds of hours of content from 50 popular channels, including Auto Motor und Sport, which offers the latest in car testing and wedo TV, where viewers can watch a variety of free content from movies to sports.
Additionally, LG is launching advertising video on demand (AVOD) titles4 in five European countries, with content offered in English, German, Spanish and other languages. These AVOD titles are provided thanks to collaborations with companies like Minerva Pictures, an independent film production and distribution company based in Rome, active in the film and audiovisual market since 1950, LoveTV Channels, which targets niche audiences passionate of themes such as cinema, environment or wine and Shoot for Love, which targets football fans.
What’s more, thanks to the collaboration with ITV Studios, new channels will be added such as Storylands – featuring high-quality, award-winning European drama produced by ITV Studios labels in France, Italy and the Nordics – and Hell’s Kitchen, a program hosted by world-famous Michelin-starred chef, Gordon Ramsay, filled with cutthroat competition and explosive entertainment.
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1 Source: Omdia (www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-omdia-data-reveals-global-fast-channel-revenues-will-reach-12bn-in-2027-301729416.html)
2 Available in the US and Germany. Content availability varies by market.
3 DAZN Fast and DAZN Rise to be made available in the upcoming months starting in Germany and Austria.
4 Country availability varies.
