Let’s talk about FAST (free ad-supported streaming TV) channels – a market that’s growing so quickly that it certainly holds a fitting name. Developed in the United States, this format is spreading quickly across the world, with growing appeal. According to research firm Omdia, FAST channels will grow the quickest outside of the US driving the US share of global revenue down to 86% by 2027. Although the US will continue to dominate the market, a $1.6bn revenue opportunity will emerge for FAST channels outside of the US by 2027 with the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, and Brazil driving the growth. The UK and Canada, two of the countries that enjoy an overspill of content from the US, will have FAST markets worth more than US$500 million and US$300 million respectively by 2027. Omdia reports that the total global FAST market is anticipated to reach $12 billion by 2027.
This type of market growth for FAST just reminds us that most things in life are cyclical. Remember ad-supported over-the-air broadcast TV? It wasn’t that long ago that our viewing was mostly linear channel viewing. Then on-demand streaming services arrived, touted as the future of television. Followed by cord-cutting where viewers opt to cancel their traditional cable or satellite services. Now we’ve come full circle, back to ad-supported channels and watching our television content for free again. It’s straightforward really; FAST channels provide us with the benefits of streaming plus the familiarity of TV – uniting both linear channels and on-demand programming. Plus, it caters to an audience that is transitioning from traditional TV viewing to a streaming experience.
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