Samsung Ads Reimagines CTV Advertising with Interactive and Game-based Format

Samsung Ads has announced the launch of its GameBreaks ad format in the UK market, following a successful launch earlier this year in the US and Canada.

Built natively for Samsung Smart TVs, GameBreaks transforms traditional ad breaks on Samsung TV Plus - the ad-supported streaming service available on Samsung Smart TVs - into short, remote control-powered games. This new and innovative format runs in the first ad slot of premium commercial ad pods, and offers viewers a frictionless way to engage, while giving advertisers a new medium to earn attention.

The first game in the award-winning GameBreaks portfolio to launch in the UK will be The Six, with more games to come in the pipeline.  This new format will be available for alpha testing to UK advertisers later this summer. 

Independent research from MediaScience in the US, found that GameBreaks ads deliver a 53% lift in unaided brand recall, outperforming standard video ads by 1.5x. It also found that 89% of viewers preferred GameBreaks over traditional commercial breaks.

Minai Bui, director of product marketing, Europe at Samsung Ads, said, “The way viewers use their TVs is rapidly changing, and advertisers need to adapt to this new reality. The TV of today is a personalised, interactive entertainment hub for the home. With GameBreaks, we’re pushing the boundaries of what can be done with a traditional TV ad slot and the the result is a new ad format that puts interactivity, brand effectiveness, and playfulness at the heart of the TV advertising experience.” 

The UK launch of GameBreaks comes just weeks after Samsung Ads announced the integration of user behaviour data from over 20 million opted-in smart phone devices into its CTV campaigns across Europe, combining the rich audience insights of mobile app usage data with the effectiveness of CTV advertising.

Alex Hole, SVP and general manager, Samsung Europe and MENA, said the launch of GameBreaks was a reflection of Samsung’s commitment to innovating CTV as both an entertainment and advertising platform. “Our goal is to evolve TV from just a traditional entertainment medium into a comprehensive, outcomes-driven platform,” he said. “The GameBreaks format is a unique tool that we know will deliver value to both advertisers and viewers.”