Samsung is planning to review its portfolio and this will see the company shut down some services that have not picked up as expected. One of those services is the ChatOn messaging services that has seen stiff competition from other Multi-platform messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Viber etc.
According to the Korean Times, some Samsung officials have confirmed that Samsung will trim down its portfolio and the first ChatOn is the first casualty. “Restructure unprofitable businesses and improve profitability,” this is what one of Samsung’s executives was overheard saying. Another exec also said, “From a business point of view, ChatOn isn’t a business that can show improvement in the future.” The executives were not named as they were not authorised to disclose the information to the media.
It is believed that Samsung will shut down ChatOn strategically on a region by region basis but the exact dates have not been revealed.
The Samsung ChatOn messaging services first came into the market in 2011 and although it came preloaded on Samsung devices, it never saw tremendous growth amid stiff competition.