• Launch marks UKTV's debut in the FAST channel market
• Channels to launch on leading FAST services Samsung TV Plus, Amazon Freevee and Pluto TV

Commercial broadcaster UKTV announces the launch of four Free Ad-supported Streaming TV (FAST) channels on Samsung TV Plus, Amazon Freevee and Pluto TV. The news marks the broadcaster's debut in the FAST market with further plans to build on the offer with FAST channels to launch on its free streaming service UKTV Play at a later date.

The four new channels will launch in the UK on Samsung TV Plus on Wednesday 23rd August and Amazon Freevee and Pluto TV on Thursday 24th August. The UKTV Play branded channels will provide curated access to some of UKTV's most loved content from its free-to-air channel brands, Dave, Drama, W and Yesterday:

• UKTV Play Heroes allows viewers to join frontline medics and police at life's most dramatic moments, with inspiring stories of the everyday heroism of paramedics, doctors, nurses and the police. The channel features Emma Willis: Delivering Babies, Inside the Ambulance, 999: Rescue Squad, Special Ops: Crime Squad, Cop Car Workshop, Inside the Operating Theatre, Nurses Down Under and The Shift: Women on the Force.
• UKTV Play Laughs invites comedy lovers to sit back, relax and lose themselves in the lighter side of life. With wall-to-wall witty quips, comical chat and downright daft discussions, it's dedicated to tickling your funny bone, with shows starring some of the biggest names in comedy in Hypothetical, Mel Giedroyc: Unforgivable, Judge Romesh and Comedians Giving Lectures.
• UKTV Play Full Throttle takes viewers to the skies, the tracks or the road, with shows packed with planes, trains, cars and more. The channel allows viewers to get under the bonnet, inside the cowling and off down the tracks for riveting shows led by expert hosts including Bangers & Cash, Architecture the Railways Built, Warbird Workshop, Yianni: Supercar Customiser, Secrets of the Railways, Train Truckers, Impossible Railways, Secrets of the London Underground, and Modern Wheels or Classic Steals.
• UKTV Play Uncovered is for enquiring minds and delves into the darkest corners of history and engineering. Audiences are invited to explore the extraordinary, from the battlefield to the home front, ancient monoliths to modern myths, with featured titles including Abandoned Engineering, Forbidden History, World War 2 From Above, War Factories, History Hunters, Warbird Workshop, World War Weird, World War 2 Frontlines and Secret Nazi Bases.

The FAST launch has been led by UKTV's Director of Advertising, Sarah Goldman and Head of Distribution, Philipp Pfister, with oversight from Jonathan Newman, General Manager, Commercial. For playout and distribution services on the partner platforms, UKTV worked with Amagi, the global leader in cloud-based SaaS technology for broadcast and connected TV.

"FAST is a fantastic opportunity to reach new audiences with our rich content catalogue and showcase a wide array of genres across the four new channels."

Jonathan Newman said: "FAST is a fantastic opportunity to reach new audiences with our rich content catalogue and showcase a wide array of genres across the four new channels. Thanks to the hard work of a group of passionate experts from across UKTV, our new FAST channels will be a valuable complement to the existing channel network and will help supercharge the UKTV Play streaming service by further extending its reach."

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For more information please contact Rebecca Ferris Corporate Communications Manager, UKTV

About UKTV

UKTV has been at the forefront of branded television for over 30 years, entertaining the nation with programmes they love. Its leading brands - Dave, Gold, W, Drama, Alibi, Eden and Yesterday - span comedy, entertainment, natural history, factual and drama, and are delivered to audiences through UKTV Play, Freeview, Sky, Now, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, Samsung TV, YouView, Freesat and Amazon Fire. The broadcaster is a significant investor in British creativity and is committed to working with new and established writers, directors and programme-makers.

UKTV is part of BBC Studios, the UK's most-awarded production company, a world-class distributor with international branded services, and a commercial subsidiary of the world's leading public service broadcaster, the BBC.

About Samsung TV Plus

Samsung TV Plus is free TV, with no subscription, no sign up, no additional device, or credit card needed. Pre- installed on all Samsung Smart TVs from 2016, and available for download from the Google Play and Galaxy Store on Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets in select territories. Samsung TV Plus instantly delivers an ever growing number channels across multiple genres including news, sports, entertainment, as well as a video on demand library of your favourite movies and popular shows. The free, ad supported video service is available in The UK and 15 other European territories; all you need is an internet connection. For the latest on Samsung TV Plus,

About Amazon Freevee

Amazon Freevee is a streaming video service with thousands of premium movies and TV shows, including Originals and free ad-supported (FAST) channels, available anytime, for free. All FAST channels available on Freevee can be accessed through the Freevee app, as well as within Fire TV and Prime Video.

About Pluto TV

Pluto TV, a Paramount Company, is the leading free streaming television service delivering hundreds of live linear channels and thousands of titles on-demand to a global audience of 80 million monthly active users. The Emmy (R) award-winning service curates a diverse line-up of channels, in partnership with nearly 400 international media companies, offering a wide array of genres, languages and categories featuring movies, television series, sports, news, lifestyle, kids and much more. Pluto TV can be easily accessed and streamed across mobile, web and connected TV devices. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Pluto TV's growing international footprint extends across three continents and 35 markets.