Samsung announced an exclusive partnership with Fender to make its TVs the first to host the Fender Play instrument-learning app. The deal turns the living room TV into an interactive music teacher, giving Samsung unique software to stand out and offering Fender a new way to keep aspiring musicians engaged.
Building a software moat: For Samsung, this is a strategic play to make its hardware indispensable in a crowded market. An exclusive software deal like this builds a moat around its ecosystem, which was previewed with an on-screen demo at CES 2026. The goal, according to Samsung's EVP of Visual Display Hun Lee, is to turn "the largest screen at home into a place to learn and play together."
Guitars gathering dust: For Fender, the deal is a direct assault on the frustration that causes a notoriously high 90% of new players to quit. By making its learning platform more immersive on a big screen, the company hopes to solve the age-old problem of new guitars being abandoned. Fender's VP of Growth Strategy Cliff Kim said the partnership gives "music lovers the opportunity to learn, practice, and play" directly on their TV.
The Fender Play app will launch in the first half of 2026. It will be available on 2025 and later Samsung TV models across nearly 50 countries. The deal is part of Samsung's broader vision to make the TV an all-in-one entertainment companion.
