Samsung is reportedly offering seven years of free operating system (OS) updates for select models of its artificial intelligence (AI) TVs. As per a report, the South Korean tech giant will offer updates for its Tizen OS with this new move. Samsung is reportedly aiming to improve its market share in South Korea and other regions with this decision. Notably, the announcement came after the company announced seven years of OS updates for the Galaxy S24 series, which was launched in January.
Samsung to Reportedly Offer Seven Years of OS Updates With AI TVs
According to a report by Business Korea, Samsung Electronics announced in South Korea that it will offer seven years of free OS updates to select AI TV models. At first, some 2023 AI TV models and those launched in March 2024 will be eligible for the updates, and they will later be expanded to other models as well. Notably, the Tizen OS, which comes in all of Samsung's smart TVs, was built in collaboration with Intel. The in-house OS runs on more than 270 million Samsung smart TVs across the globe.
As per the publication, the announcement was made during a briefing held on August 22 by Yoon Seok-woo, President of Samsung Electronics' Visual Display Business Division at the Digital Research Lab of Samsung Electronics' Suwon Campus in Gyeonggi Province.
It is believed that the tech giant decided to offer the OS updates in a bid to improve its TV market share in South Korea and other regions. The company reportedly witnessed a decline from 20.3 percent in Q1 2023 to 18.8 percent in Q1 2024. The decline was a result of the rise of Chinese smart TVs with AI capabilities.
During the briefing, Yook reportedly addressed the rise of Chinese manufacturers and highlighted that Samsung is setting itself apart with a unique differentiator. “AI TV will act as the hub of the AI home, connecting other AI appliances like refrigerators and air conditioners. We will expand the AI home era by enabling users to monitor and control peripheral devices through the TV even when it is off or when the user is away,” Yoon was quoted as saying.
