Samsung’s online unpacking event draws 56m viewers worldwide

The first online Galaxy Unpacked late Wednesday wrapped up with an accumulated 56 million viewers from around the world, successfully debuting the latest Galaxy products and showing the world the new path Samsung will be heading in the post-COVID-19 era.

According to Samsung on Thursday, the total number of viewers who watched the unpacking event streamed live from Korea via various online channels stood at 56 million.

On YouTube, the number of concurrent viewers hit 450,000 during the 100-minute show.

Compared to traditional offline Unpacked events that invite hundreds of mobile industry officials and global media to New York or San Francisco, many watched with caution whether the unprecedented online event would prove to be just as effective.

The figures turned out better than expected, easing concerns about finding ways to introduce new products across the mobile industry, according to industry watchers.

In contrast with previous offline events, the livestream allowed viewers to concentrate on the flashy computer graphics of the new products, maximizing the presenters’ efficiency in describing details of each gadget.

“One of the most satisfying parts of the online unpacking was broadcasting graphic technique that kept my attention long enough,” said a 29-year-old viewer in Seoul.

A Korean blogger who has been invited to the Unpacked events in the past said, “During offline events, attendees were quite distracted and most of them had to see products through a massive screen from far away.

The online show saved more time and was easier to focus on, personally. It‘s still too bad to miss the hands-on session.”

Some viewers, however, also noted on the cons of the online event, pointing to the same form of technological explanations about the five different products.

Some also expressed disappointment in Korean pop band BTS‘ shoart appearance during the unboxing of the Galaxy Z Fold 2, rather than sharing the stage.

Samsung said it remains positive about holding similar online events down the road.

“There is a high possibility of utilizing what we have used for the unpacking event for other occasions in the near future,” said a Samsung official.

By Song Su-hyun (song@heraldcorp.com)