All About FAST Channels - A Guide to Getting Started
You must have come across videos on demand on OTT platforms that don't monetize the viewers but make money through ads. This is known as ad-supported video on demand or AVOD. This is preferable for the users as they don't have to buy expensive subscriptions to access popular content.
What if you could access live streaming television the same way, without having to pay for a subscription? The answer is FAST TV. Let us tell you more.
What Does FAST mean?
So, what does FAST mean? It stands for free ad-supported streaming TV services. It's much like a linear traditional TV channel, but for OTT and CTV platforms. A FAST channel is monetized through ads and is free for the viewer.
FAST has seen rapid growth in the last few years and is extremely popular among cord-cutters. In fact, cable networks are offering these FAST channels to stay in the market and diversify their business model. FAST has gained so much popularity that, according to Seeking Alpha, the market for FAST will cross $4 billion by the end of 2024.
Why FAST is Gaining Popularity
There is so much live streaming content online that people are spoilt for choice. Having said that, not all content is good on every platform. There's something you would like on one channel and something else on another channel.
If you want to watch both, you would need a subscription for both platforms where they're streaming. This will add to your cost. If there's additional live steaming content you would want to watch on a third platform, you would need a subscription for that as well. The cost would just keep adding up.
FAST is increasingly becoming the preferred choice because it frees the users from the shackles of subscriptions and enables them to view the content of their choice on multiple platforms/channels.
How is FAST Evolving the Phase of CTV?
CTV, or connected TV, is any TV where a digital video can be streamed, either with an external device or with the TV's built-in capabilities like that of a Smart TV. According to the Leichtman Research Group, a connected TV is found in at least 80% of all TV households. 60% of these viewers in the U.S. watch free ad-supported TV streaming services.
FAST channels are available for all CTV devices, as well as for mobile devices, due to which they have become extremely convenient for users to watch. The channels also come pre-installed for popular smart TVs like Roku, Samsung, and LG.
Challenges With FAST
One of the biggest challenges with FAST is that if you're not careful enough, your users might get annoyed with watching the same ads over and over again. This is the need you must use programmatic advertising, thus ensuring that different ads are shown at most times, if not every time.
Another challenge that comes with FAST is the lack of organized data about the performance of the channels. This impacts programming and scheduling decisions and requires a more trial and error-based approach. But don't let this discourage you. Since FAST is relatively new, the process of tracking data is still evolving. For something that's gaining so much traction, it's only a matter of time before the right tools for performance measurement are made available.
Getting Started With Your FAST Channel
As a content distributor, it may seem like an uphill task to find the right way to get started with your FAST channel's launch. But you don't need to take this headache when we're here for you. Help us help you. Contact us here to learn more.