Samsung beefing up content and services ecosystem

JAKARTA--Samsung is driving its content and services across its devices targeting new niche segments, in order to strengthen its dominance in the increasingly competitive consumer electronics space.

"This new emphasis on building content and services puts our consumer squarely in the center of our universe. We want the customer's experience to transcend beyond the device," said Nicolas Wodtke, vice president for content and services at Samsung Asia. He was speaking at a presentation at the Samsung Forum 2013 held here Wednesday.

Wodtke explained the company had outlined various content verticals where it would commit to become experts in those domains. He noted some successful projects from last year included its messaging platform ChatOn and an exclusive branded service with Viki for Samsung's smart TVs.

New offerings in the pipeline this year will revolve around music discovery, casual gaming, art appreciation and services for various niche segments, the executive added.

For example, Samsung will launch a service called Silverline, catering to the elderly community which Wodtke noted was often underserved. He noted this group wanted the convenience that mobile devices offer, but were relatively less IT-savvy. "Our Silverline will make it easier for them, whether it's a health application, or a photosharing app so they can share those precious moments with their grandchildren."

Also in the pipeline is an app called SportsView, a customizable aggregator for sports content such as news. There will be a service for casual gaming called GameSnacks on its ChatOn messenging platform, where games can be played in 60 seconds and users can compete with one another.

Other services in the works include a music discovery service called DisCover, which will feature a "local artiste of the month" and an Arts-dedicated platform called MasterPiece, where the community can post creations online and curate them.
Earlier this month, Samsung tied up with Electronic Arts (EA) to draw more developers to its fledgling apps store by raising the level of financial incentives. Under the program dubbed "100 precent Indie", independent developers keep 100 percent of their revenue for six months--in contrast with the usual 30 percent cut offered by other platforms like Apple.
Last year, the firm made moves to enhance its music services with the acquisition of U.S. mobile company mSpot, to boost its cloud media offerings.

Ryan Huang of ZDNet Asia reported from Samsung Forum 2013 in Jakarta, Indonesia, on the invitation of Samsung.