Samsung’s latest boast about hitting 88 million monthly active users (MAUs) for its FAST service, Samsung TV Plus, sure sounds impressive. With viewership supposedly doubling year-over-year, the numbers are designed to dazzle. But let’s be real here: when gauging genuine engagement, MAU is fool’s gold.
Here’s what Samsung isn’t telling you: its TV Plus app automatically launches every time a Samsung TV turns on, whether you want it or not. The platform is sticky by design, snagging anyone who so much as switches on their TV or flips between apps. MAU figures like these don’t tell us how well Samsung TV Plus is performing; they just tell us that Samsung knows how to get its app front and center. And while I’d do the same thing if I were Samsung, there’s a big difference between having a default setting that racks up impressions and creating a real connection with users.
Samsung isn’t the only player pulling this sleight of hand—MAU has become the go-to vanity metric in the FAST and AVOD (ad-supported video-on-demand) world. Companies throw around self-serving user counts like confetti these days, expecting us to treat them as the gospel truth. And with all these “impressive” MAU stats floating around, isn’t it surprising how most content providers still aren’t making real money in FAST? If we’re going to help these companies help us help them, we’ve got to stop copying and pasting their self-reported, headline-grabbing metrics without question.
Why MAU is About as Deep as a Puddle
MAU is, at best, a surface-level metric. All it tells you is how many people touched the app once a month. But in the world of streaming, what actually matters is not just who clicked but who actually watched—and for how long. This is why Total Viewing Time (TVT) is a far more reliable gauge of user engagement. TVT shows actual hours spent interacting with a platform, a metric that’s actionable for advertisers, informative for stakeholders, and honest about viewer interest. If a streaming service logs 500 million hours of real viewing time in a month, you know they’re delivering something people want to see.
For all we know, Samsung’s MAU figure counts any user who glances at the TV Plus app, even if they immediately switch over to Netflix or Hulu. The numbers are padded, presenting a facade of engagement that doesn’t do anything for advertisers, doesn’t help stakeholders understand growth, and doesn’t reflect real viewer loyalty. Worse, different companies define MAU differently, so comparing Samsung’s 88 million “active users” with another service’s metric is a recipe for confusion.
If someone from Samsung wants to step up and clarify that they’re not padding these stats, we’re all ears. Heck, I’ll even write an apology article if I’m wrong about alluding otherwise. But until we get some transparency, this “engagement” metric doesn’t pass the smell test.
The Self-Serving Game of Inflated Metrics
MAU figures can look appealing on paper, especially when autoplay features, or sticky default settings inflate them. That makes them incredibly attractive to shareholders and easy to sell in press releases, but for advertisers and users, they’re about as helpful as an IKEA instruction manual. Depending on how companies count MAUs, one person could easily trigger the metric multiple times in a single sitting just by hopping from TV to tablet to phone. The more devices you use, the more “active” you look.
Now, I’m not saying Samsung is doing this, but given the lack of standardization, it’s not hard to see how these numbers can get padded—intentionally or otherwise.
This “metric inflation” extends beyond just Samsung. For a FAST service to really reflect its popularity and true engagement, it would need to move beyond MAU and look at deeper, multi-dimensional user interactions. Ideally, this would involve cross-platform profiles, allowing users to pick up where they left off on any device. Interestingly, some FAST services have begun actively promoting cross-device functionality—and wouldn’t you know it, they’re often the same ones introducing new metrics that aren’t based on MAUs. But for many services, skipping profiles keeps those MAU counts nice and padded, counting one user logging in across three devices as three separate “actives”—a far cry from actual engagement.
Time to Move Beyond MAU
Look, we can’t rely on these companies to stop dishing out these metrics anytime soon. MAU is just too convenient a crutch for boasting engagement without proving it. The best thing the industry can do right now is to start setting more meaningful benchmarks and push FAST services to move toward metrics like Total Viewing Time. TVT correlates directly to ad inventory, making it invaluable for advertisers who want genuine eyeballs and real watch time.
Samsung’s got a lot of marketing muscle behind this 88 million MAU stat, but if the industry is looking for a measure of genuine user interest, it’s time to look beyond shallow stats. MAU might work to pump up press releases, but you’ll want something more substantial if you’re an advertiser or a savvy industry folk. And until we hold these companies to that standard, all we’re getting is a lot of fluff and not a lot of truth.
The Bottom Line: Demand Better Metrics
These FASTs can keep flaunting their MAUs all they want, but if we want a real measure of success, it’s time to demand more. Total Viewing Time would give advertisers and stakeholders a metric that actually matters, one that reflects real engagement instead of marketing puffery. Until then, MAU will remain the industry’s favorite illusion—a flashy stat that doesn’t really say much at all.
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