Samsung Electronics has pulled Lee Won-jin, a former Google Korea chief and the architect of Samsung TV Plus, into the top job at its Visual Display Business, replacing Yong Seok-woo in a midyear move that shatters the company’s usual year-end reshuffle pattern and signals that the world’s biggest TV maker plans to compete on software, not just panels.
The appointment was announced May 4 from Suwon. Yong shifts to an advisory role at the Device eXperience Division focused on AI and robotics, according to Samsung’s Global Newsroom personnel announcement on the Visual Display leadership change. The company said Lee will “spearhead business turnarounds and identify new growth areas.”
That language matters. Samsung’s TV chiefs have almost always risen through hardware engineering. Lee comes from advertising and content services. The signal to investors and to Hisense in Qingdao is unmistakable.
The Numbers Behind the Shake-Up
The reshuffle did not happen because Samsung lost its crown. It happened because the crown started feeling lighter on the balance sheet. The Visual Display and Digital Appliances divisions together posted KRW 14.8 trillion in revenue but a KRW 0.6 trillion operating loss in the fourth quarter of 2025, roughly $408 million in the red, according to Samsung’s 4Q 2025 earnings presentation filed with investors.
Full-year 2025 ended with a 200 billion won loss in the combined unit. Q1 2026 swung back to a 200 billion won profit, but the recovery looked more like cost discipline than a return to pricing power.
| Brand | 2023 Global TV Shipment Share | 2024 Global TV Shipment Share |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung | 18.6% | 17.7% |
| TCL | 12.5% | 14.7% |
| Hisense | 11.4% | 12.7% |
Omdia data tracked through The Korea Herald shows Samsung’s worldwide TV shipment share slipping from 18.6% in 2023 to 17.7% in 2024, while TCL climbed and Hisense climbed faster. By November 2025, monthly tracking placed TCL within a single percentage point of Samsung.
The premium tier used to be Samsung’s safe room. That is closing too. Counterpoint Research now puts TCL and Hisense in active battle for the second slot above $1,500.
“The competitive read-through is pressure on Samsung and LG, particularly around premium positioning,” said Yoshio Tamura, vice president of research at Counterpoint Research, in the firm’s Q1 2025 advanced TV note.
Why a Marketing Veteran Got the Hardware Throne
Lee is not a panel engineer. He founded Google Korea, became the first Korean vice president at Google’s global headquarters, and joined Samsung in 2014 to run content, partnerships, and software services for mobile and Smart TV. He turned Samsung TV Plus from a free-channel curiosity into a 100 million user advertising property.
Lee Won-jin is an expert in content, service and marketing, expected to spearhead business turnarounds and identify new growth areas, thereby further strengthening competitiveness.
That is Samsung’s official framing of Lee’s appointment, and the unwritten message inside it is that the next decade of TV margin will not come from making the screen 0.3 mm thinner. It will come from selling the eyeballs in front of it.
Samsung TV Plus Has Quietly Become the Real Asset
Lee’s track record is the reason he has the job. Samsung TV Plus crossed 100 million monthly active users globally in January 2026, putting it in the same league as Tubi and The Roku Channel, per Samsung’s January 2026 Newsroom milestone post on Samsung TV Plus monthly active users.
The platform now offers nearly 700 free channels in the United States and roughly 4,300 worldwide across 30 countries, a footprint Samsung detailed at its CES 2026 briefing on FAST, creators and live experiences.
- 100 million plus monthly active users globally as of January 2026
- 700 free channels in the United States, 4,300 worldwide across 30 countries
- 25% year over year growth in streaming hours through 2025
- #1 in Europe for FAST revenue after overtaking Pluto TV in late 2025
Samsung Ads, the inventory arm that monetizes that audience, generates an estimated $700 million to $750 million a year in advertising revenue.
Stack that against the $400 million quarterly hardware loss and the math behind Lee’s promotion gets harder to argue with.
Tizen Becomes the Trojan Horse
There is a second front, and it is more strategic than the FAST channel grid. Samsung opened its smart TV operating system to outside set makers last year, signing RCA, EKO, QBELL, and Axdia under Samsung’s expanded Tizen OS licensing program announcement covering new global partners.
Every Tizen license that ships on a non-Samsung set is a Samsung TV Plus install, a Samsung Ads inventory unit, and a SmartThings hook that does not require Samsung to sell the panel. The connected TV ad pie keeps growing while the hardware pie thins.
- $38 billion projected global connected TV ad spend in 2026, per eMarketer’s 2026 FAQ on free ad-supported streaming and the CTV ad market
- $12 billion projected global FAST ad revenue in 2026
- 4 new licensing partners signed onto Tizen OS in 2025 across the United States, Mexico, Europe, and Australia
That is the Roku playbook ported into a hardware powerhouse. The difference is that Samsung still ships its own premium sets at the top of the funnel and now licenses the operating system to compete with itself at the bottom.
How TCL and Hisense Forced Suwon’s Hand
Chinese manufacturers have spent the past three years compressing the gap that used to make Samsung’s premium pricing untouchable. MiniLED was the wedge.
Counterpoint Research projects TCL, Hisense, and Xiaomi will capture 62% of the MiniLED market. MiniLED LCD shipments grew more than 170% year over year and overtook OLED shipments starting in Q2 2024, per the Counterpoint Research report on TCL and Hisense premium TV share gains in MiniLED.
Hisense already controls 57.1% of the 100-inch and larger TV segment in 2025. That is the size class where average selling prices used to be Samsung’s safest hiding place.
“In 2026, Samsung will remain the global TV market leader, while Chinese brands such as TCL, Hisense and Xiaomi will rapidly expand their presence across various segments,” wrote Bob O’Brien of Counterpoint Research in a recent forecast note.
Samsung’s own Q1 2026 earnings telegraphed the discomfort. The company described intense market competition and warned profitability would stay under pressure even as Neo QLED and OLED unit sales grew. Samsung sold around 2 million OLED TVs in 2025, up 38% from 2024, but the price war is happening one tier below.
That sets up Lee’s mandate cleanly. The hardware fight is no longer winnable on margin alone. The next move is to make every TV that ships, Samsung-built or licensed, a recurring-revenue device.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will My Samsung TV Start Showing More Ads Now?
Yes, more ad-supported surfaces are likely. Lee Won-jin built Samsung TV Plus into a 100 million user advertising platform, and Samsung Ads already pulls in roughly $700 million to $750 million a year. Expect more free channels on the home screen, more sponsored tile placements, and deeper Samsung TV Plus integration into the Smart Hub. You can opt out of personalized ads under Settings, then General, then Privacy, then Interest-Based Advertising.
How Do I Watch Samsung TV Plus Without Owning a Samsung TV?
Open samsungtvplus.com in any browser, or install the Samsung TV Plus app on iOS and Android. The service ships with 2025 and 2026 Galaxy phones and tablets. From mid-2025, third-party Tizen-licensed sets from RCA, EKO, QBELL, and Axdia in the US, Mexico, Europe, and Australia carry Samsung TV Plus preloaded. No Samsung account or subscription is required.
Why Did Samsung Change Its TV Chief in May Instead of December?
The midyear timing signals urgency. Samsung’s Visual Display and Digital Appliances unit posted a 600 billion won operating loss in the fourth quarter of 2025 and lost share to TCL and Hisense for two straight years. The board did not want to wait for the December reshuffle cycle to start a service-led pivot. Pulling Lee in May gives him a full quarter before the August Q2 earnings call.
Will Samsung Still Make Premium QLED and OLED TVs?
Yes. Samsung still holds 54.3% of the global market for TVs priced above $2,500 and roughly 17% of total TV shipments, according to Omdia and Counterpoint Research data. The company sold around 2 million OLED TVs in 2025, up 38% from 2024. The reshuffle layers ad and subscription revenue on top of hardware. It does not retire Neo QLED, OLED, or the Frame lineup.
Who Is Lee Won-jin and Why Does Samsung Trust Him With TV?
Lee founded Google Korea, became the first Korean vice president at Google’s global headquarters, and joined Samsung in 2014 to run content, partnerships, and Smart TV software. He built Samsung TV Plus from a small free-channel feature into a 100 million monthly user advertising business. Samsung wants the rest of the TV division rebuilt on the same platform-revenue logic he proved out there.
The job ahead is heavier than the job description. Lee inherits a TV business that still ships more units than anyone else on the planet and still loses money doing it. Whether he can turn the world’s most-watched piece of furniture into a high-margin advertising platform will define Samsung’s home electronics decade.
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