HauntTV, Love Pets and Homeful launch on Samsung’s free, ad-supported service in territories around the world, including North America, South America, Europe and Australia
Blue Ant Media’s multi-year output deal, includes hundreds of hours annually across multiple genres
Blue Ant Media has expanded its partnership with Samsung TV Plus in a multi-year content deal that includes the launch of three FAST channels, HauntTV, Love Pets and Homeful and a multi-year content deal. TV reno celebrity, Mike Holmes (top), who stars in a raft of series on Homeful, the hosts of Haunted Gold Rush (bottom right) and the Bondi Vet (bottom right)
(Cannes, FR – October 16, 2023) – International production studio, rights business and channel operator, Blue Ant Media announced today at MIPCOM that it has expanded its partnership with Samsung TV Plus, Samsung’s free, ad-supported TV (FAST) and video-on-demand (AVOD) service, as part of a broad deal that includes the launch of three free streaming channels in multiple territories as well as hundreds of hours of premium factual content from Blue Ant Media’s international distribution arm headed to the platform.
Blue Ant Media’s renovation and design-focused channel, Homeful, is now available to Samsung TV Plus users in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and last week launched in Mexico and Brazil in Spanish and Portuguese. Paranormal-themed channel, HauntTV, which has also launched in Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand in the last year, is now available in the U.S. and pet-focused channel, Love Pets, has launched in the UK, the Netherlands and Nordic countries, including Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The three free-streaming channels further expand Blue Ant Media’s distribution with Samsung TV Plus and join the previously launched wildlife and nature channel, Love Nature in the U.S. and crime-focused channel, Crimetime in Canada.
Additionally, Samsung TV Plus will license hundreds of hours of premium factual content from the company’s distribution arm across multiple genres including crime, paranormal, lifestyle and natural history.
“Blue Ant Media is thrilled to expand our partnership with Samsung TV Plus,” says Jamie Schouela, President, Global Channels & Media, Blue Ant Media. “We’re excited to add to our existing line-up of channels on one of the leading FAST platforms and now bring HauntTV’s stories of the unexplained, Homeful’s renovation and real estate series and Love Pets’ animal programming to their audiences in multiple countries.”
“This deal combines carriage of Blue Ant Media’s channels with a multi-year content output from our distribution business and is a perfect example of the types of creative solutions and broad partnerships that we can offer,” says Mark Bishop, Co-President, Blue Ant Studios. “We’re committed to being a trusted source of content with must-see programming that taps into our company’s original productions as well as our premium, acquired content.”
Homeful features notable real estate, renovation and home transformation series with well-known faces in TV home design. The channel is the exclusive free streaming home of over 200 hours of Mike Holmes’ iconic library of original series and specials, including: Holmes on Homes (Seasons 1-7); Holmes Makes it Right (Seasons 1-2); Holmes + Holmes (Seasons 1-2); Holmes on Homes Special: Lien on Me (1×90); and Mike’s Ultimate Garage. Additional Homeful programming highlights include: Sarah Off the Grid (6 × 60’, HD), which sees celebrity designer Sarah Richardson build an eco-friendly dream home; Coolest Places to Stay, Season 2 (6 x 30’; HD; Architect Films), a peek inside some of the most unique and handcrafted short-term rentals; Brojects (13×30; HD), starring brothers, Kevin and Andrew, who create quirky build projects at their weekend getaway home; and Moving the McGillivrays (10 x 60’), follows celebrity TV designer Scott McGillivray build a home for family, while also building a home for a family in need.
HauntTV programming highlights include: Haunted Gold Rush (2 x 60’), Blue Ant Media’s first-ever original FAST-first docu-series exploring the ghostly mysteries along an historic Gold Rush Trail, told through the eyes of a strong female trio of paranormal investigators; Hotel Paranormal, Season 2 (10 x 60’), narrated by actor and paranormal fan Dan Aykroyd with real-life stories of otherworldly run-ins at hotels; Ghost Chasers (10 x 60’), exploring some of Europe’s most haunted locations; Ghostly Encounters (83 × 30’), following the first-hand real-life accounts of those who have experienced chilling spectral run-ins; World’s Scariest Hauntings (10 x 60’), exploring the most terrifying ghost and horror stories from around the globe; and Paranormal Survivor (50 x 60’), that chronicles the horrifying real-life ghostly encounters of ordinary people.
Love Pets features heartfelt stories about the animals in our lives, big and small, and the devoted people who care for them. Programming highlights include: Bondi Vet Seasons 1 – 8 (61 x 30’ + 111 x 60’) which immerses viewers in the drama of emergency vets at a clinic in Australia as they save the lives of beloved pets and exotic animals; Vet on the Hill Seasons 1 – 3 (55 x 60’), which follows the day-to-day live of vet Dr. Scott Miller at his busy clinic in a small UK town; ER Vets (30 x 30’), which follows a group of veterinarians as they tend to animals at a 24/7 trauma center, dealing with life-and-death dilemmas on a daily basis and find the time to offer comfort to the animals’ owners; The Bizarre Pet Vets (6 x 60’) starring beloved vet Dr. James and his team as they treat the most bizarre and beloved animals in Australia; and Hope For Wildlife (65 x 60’), a look at a dedicated wildlife rescue team, led by Hope Swinimer, who rescue thousands of sick, injured and lost animals and return them to their natural habitats.
About Blue Ant Media’s free streaming channels:
Blue Ant Media’s suite of FAST (free, ad-supported streaming TV) channels offer audiences curated programming that is easy and free to access on platforms like The Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus, VIZIO WatchFree+, Tubi, Freevee, and LG. The company’s growing global portfolio of FAST channels include Love Nature, HauntTV, Total Crime, Homeful, HistoryTime, Love Pets and Drag Race Universe.
Blue Ant Media is a privately held, international production studio and rights business and channel operator. The company’s studio creates and distributes a premium slate of programming, in all content genres, for streaming and broadcasting platforms around the world. Blue Ant Media also operates free streaming and pay TV channels under several media brands internationally, including Love Nature, Cottage Life, Smithsonian Channel Canada, BBC Earth Canada, HauntTV, Homeful, Drag Race Universe, Total Crime, HistoryTime and Love Pets. Blue Ant Media is headquartered in Toronto, with six international offices in Los Angeles, New York, Singapore, London, Washington and Sydney. blueantmedia.com Twitter⼁Instagram⼁LinkedIn
About Samsung TV Plus
Samsung TV Plus is Samsung’s free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) and video-on-demand (AVOD) service which offers over 2,200 channels globally across 24 countries, as well as thousands of shows and movies on-demand spanning news, sports, entertainment, music, kids and more. One of the first FAST platforms from a device manufacturer, Samsung TV Plus is directly integrated into all 2016-2023 Samsung TVs, Samsung Galaxy devices, Smart Monitors, and Samsung Family Hub refrigerators, as well as the web in the United States. Content may vary by region and language. To learn more, visit samsung.com/tvplus. Follow us on LinkedIn.