LG Channels has launched in Poland, expanding the free streaming service to 37 countries worldwide and growing its channel lineup to more than 5,000. [LG Electronics]
LG Channels has launched in Poland, expanding the free streaming service to 37 countries worldwide and growing its channel lineup to more than 5,000. [LG Electronics]

LG Electronics has launched its free, ad-supported streaming (FAST) service LG Channels in Poland, bringing the platform's global footprint to 37 countries and pushing its channel count past 5,000.

LG Channels in Poland offers content spanning global news, sports, entertainment and film, LG Electronics said Tuesday. The company also partnered with FAST solutions firm New ID to introduce a dedicated K-content channel in the market.

The Poland launch brings LG Channels' European presence to 17 countries, and LG Electronics said it plans to use the entry as a springboard to accelerate its push into Central and Eastern Europe.

Launched in 2015, LG Channels is the flagship content service on webOS, LG Electronics' proprietary smart TV platform. It delivers content tailored to the tastes of individual countries and regions. About 270 million TVs running webOS are in use worldwide.

Monthly average global viewership of LG Channels grew 30 percent last year compared with the previous year, while total viewing hours over the same period rose more than 45 percent year on year.

In Latin America, where sports content commands a large audience, LG Electronics has built out a broad sports offering. In Brazil in particular, more than 10 percent of all LG Channels are dedicated sports channels, and the company recently added CazéTV, Brazil's most popular sports channel, to the lineup.

In India, LG Electronics has strengthened its local content offering by centering it on Bollywood, expanding the channel count to more than 150.

LG Electronics has also upgraded the platform's software to make LG Channels easier to use, enhancing its AI algorithms to deliver personalized services including AI-driven content recommendations.

"We will continue to strengthen our content competitiveness and expand our global ecosystem so that viewers everywhere — from North America and Europe to the Global South — can enjoy LG Channels," said Cho Byung-ha, executive vice president and head of LG Electronics' webOS Platform Business Center.


joze@heraldcorp.com