Copyright The Hollywood Reporter
One of the top creators on YouTube is setting up shop on Samsung TV Plus. Mark Rober, who has nearly 72 million followers on his main YouTube channel and another 2.3 million or so on his CrunchLabs channel, is getting his own free streaming channel on Samsung’s streaming video platform, Mark Rober TV. The channel will be programmed with videos from his YouTube channel as well as videos from CrunchLabs, the company he founded that creates STEM-focused subscription boxes for kids and adults. “We found that you generally don’t cannibalize an audience by moving to a different medium,” says Rober in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “It seems weird, but people who are generally on Facebook are on Facebook, people who are generally on YouTube are on YouTube, people that are generally on Netflix are on Netflix. So with this, we saw an opportunity of just expanding our mission of reaching as many brains as possible with the best partner in this space for FAST channels, which is Samsung TV Plus. It was kind of a no brainer, to be honest.” Indeed, Samsung TV Plus has leaned into creators in recent months, inking deals to launch channels from creators like Dhar Mann and Michelle Khare (both featured on THR’s YouTube cover in October) as well as Mythical, The Try Guys and Donut Media. “YouTube basically has done all the work of separating which are the creators that resonate the most with people, and Samsung smartly is just like, ‘okay, well, let’s pluck the ones that resonate the most and let’s make an ecosystem of the best of the best,'” Rober says. “I’m very happy to be part of that cohort.” Samsung has made inking exclusive deals for FAST channels a priority, with David Letterman and Conan O’Brien also among the names that have developed programmed services. For Rober, it also means not only reaching a new audience on Samsung’s streaming platform, but also bolstering the business he is building at CrunchLabs. “We see it as an opportunity to expand our mission of reaching as many brains as possible, that science is cool and exciting,” he says. “And we preach embracing failure and thinking critically, and we do it all while hiding the vegetables. “We’re both tech driven, they have a big initiative around educating young minds, so it was a great partnership that made a lot of sense,” Rober adds, before teasing “this may not be the last you hear from us with Samsung.” Mark Rober TV will launch Wednesday in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, India, Ireland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands and UK, with additional markets to be announced. “Mark Rober’s blend of science, creativity, and curiosity have inspired millions around the world,” said Salek Brodsky, senior vp and global head of Samsung TV Plus. “As part of our growing Creator roster, Mark Rober TV captures a shared sense of wonder that brings generations together. We’re thrilled to welcome Mark and our expansive slate of Creators to even more audiences around the world through Samsung TV Plus.”
