Samsung shutters Milk Video following unit layoffs

Music milk logo canvasAfter less than a year, Samsung is shuttering its Milk Video service. The platform was part of an effort to create a content hub for Samsung. The company hasn’t given details about why the service closed or where it’s media strategy will go next. “What we can tell you is that Samsung remains committed to delivering engaging, connected entertainment experiences through its Milk platform, and we continue to expand our library of music, video and virtual reality,” a rep told Variety.

While this news doesn’t seem to have an immediate impact on the streaming music platform run by Samsung, Milk Music is also part of the Media SolutionsCenter America division that also housed Milk Video. That business unit was hit with layoffs earlier in September. Variety reported that as many as 15% of the staff may have been impacted by cuts. Kevin Swint, who was responsible for Milk Video as a Samsung VP of content and services, also left Media Solutions Center America unit a few weeks before the layoffs. That kind of upheaval doesn’t usually bode good things for other products under the unit’s umbrella. That said, all the news we’ve seen from Milk Music in recent months has been positive, from the addition of sports programming to a resolution of its copyright troubles.

Anna Washenko