Free ad-supported streaming television, commonly abbreviated FAST, is a category of

streaming television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air aer ...

services which are available to consumers without a paid subscription, are funded solely by advertising, and stream traditional television programming and studio-produced movies, as distinguished from platforms that largely offer

user-generated content User-generated content (UGC), alternatively known as user-created content (UCC), is any form of content, such as images, videos, text, testimonials, and audio, that has been posted by users on online platforms such as social media, discussion f ...

such as YouTube and

Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle co ...

and from subscription-based ad-supported services like

Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...

and

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

. FAST services have both linear channels (sometimes referred to as "FAST channels") and video on demand content. The earliest documented use of the term was in a January 2019 article by media analyst Alan Wolk. Wolk came up with the term as a way to differentiate between subscripton ad-supported streaming TV services like Hulu and free ad-supported streaming TV services like Pluto TV.

Platforms

The FAST ecosystem has several layers. The best-known FASTs are the aggregators, which fall into three categories. * FASTs owned by major media companies:

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

Pluto TV Pluto TV is a free, ad-supported video streaming service owned and operated by the Paramount Streaming division of Paramount Global. Co-founded by Tom Ryan, Ilya Pozin and Nick Grouf in 2013 and based in Los Angeles, California, in the United Sta ...

Comcast Comcast Corporation (formerly known as American Cable Systems and Comcast Holdings),Before the AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corpora ...

Xumo Xumo ( ) is an American over-the-top internet television service owned by Comcast. Founded in 2011, it offers a free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) and advertising video on demand (AVOD) service that primarily offers a selection of pro ...

, NBCU's

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...

(which has both free and subscription versions),

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

Tubi Tubi is an American over-the-top content platform and ad-supported streaming service owned by Fox Corporation. The service was launched on April 1, 2014, and is based in Los Angeles, California. In January 2021, Tubi reached 33 million monthly ...

and

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

’s

ITVX ITVX (formerly ITV Hub) is a British online video-on-demand service operated by ITV plc, ITV. The service offers predominantly features content from ITV1, as well as ITV Digital Channels, ITV Digital channels and some licensed content. The serv ...

service * FASTs owned by device manufacturers:

Amazon Freevee Amazon Freevee is an American ad-supported video-on-demand (VOD) streaming service owned by Amazon, with original and licensed programming. History Amazon Freevee launched as a free, ad-supported video channel by the Amazon-owned online data ...

(previously IMDb TV),

The Roku Channel The Roku Channel is an American over-the-top video streaming service owned and operated by Roku, Inc., which launched in September 2017. History In September 2017, Roku, Inc. launched a free, ad-supported streaming channel for its digital med ...

Samsung TV Plus Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (, sometimes shortened to SEC and stylized as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean multinational electronics corporation headquartered in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, South Korea. It is the pinnacle of the Samsung chaebol, acco ...

, LG Channels and

Vizio Vizio Inc. (stylized as VIZIO) is an American publicly traded company that designs and sells televisions, sound bars, viewer data, and advertising. The company was founded in 2002 and is based in Irvine, California.Lawton, Christopher, Iwatani ...

WatchFree+. * Independent FASTs, such as Crackle Plus which is owned by

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment is an American self-help, consumer goods and media company based in Cos Cob, Connecticut. It is known for the ''Chicken Soup for the Soul'' book series. The first book, like most subsequent titles in the ...

, and Plex. These aggregators operate primarily in the United States as of 2022, though some, like Pluto TV, Plex, and Samsung TV Plus operate in additional countries or worldwide. In addition to aggregator apps, there are FASTs run by a single provider such as

E.W. Scripps Edward Willis Scripps (June 18, 1854 – March 12, 1926), was an American newspaper publisher and, together with his sister Ellen Browning Scripps, founder of The E. W. Scripps Company, a diversified media conglomerate, and United Press ne ...

' Newsy,

PocketWatch A pocket watch (or pocketwatch) is a watch that is made to be carried in a pocket, as opposed to a wristwatch, which is strapped to the wrist. They were the most common type of watch from their development in the 16th century until wristwatc ...

and

FilmRise FilmRise is a New York City–based film and television studio and streaming network, which has become one of the largest independent providers of content to ad-supported streaming (AVOD) platforms, in addition to providing the largest free direc ...

that also provide their content for use in linear channels on the aggregator apps.

Content and channels

Content on FAST services can potentially cover all

television genre This is a list of genres of literature and entertainment (film, television, music, and video games), excluding genres in the visual arts. ''Genre'' is the term for any category of creative work, which includes literature and other forms of ar ...

s as well as movies, which are the most popular type of content on the FASTs. Content options can include original and/or archive programming not available through subscription streaming services. Although many linear channels on FAST services resemble cable-style specialty channels, some have an even narrower focus on a single long-running program or media franchise. While some linear FAST channels are exclusive to specific platforms, some, such as

Cheddar Cheddar most often refers to either: *Cheddar cheese *Cheddar, Somerset, the village after which Cheddar cheese is named Cheddar may also refer to: Places * Cheddar, Ontario, Canada * Cheddar Yeo, a river which flows through Cheddar Gorge and t ...

, are distributed through multiple providers. FASTs owned by major media companies have the advantage of being able to leverage their parent companies extensive libraries. ''Variety'' estimated that 1,455 linear channels were available through major FAST platforms as of June 2022.

References

{{reflist , refs = {{cite web, url=https://digiday.com/future-of-tv/wtf-is-fast/, title=WTF is FAST?, first=Tim, last=Peterson, work=

Digiday ''Digiday'' is an online trade magazine for online media founded in 2008 by Nick Friese. It is headquartered in New York City, with offices in London and Tokyo. Description ''Digiday'' provides daily online news about advertising, publishing, an ...

, date=August 6, 2019, access-date=July 29, 2022 {{cite web, url=https://www.tvrev.com/news/tvrevs-2019-predictions-part-1-of-2, title=The Year Ahead. Our Fearless Predictions For 2019, Part 1 of 2, first=Alan, last=Wolk, work=TVRev, date=January 1, 2019, access-date=July 29, 2022 {{cite web, url=https://variety.com/vip/what-to-expect-next-in-fast-1235312288/, title=What to Expect Next in FAST, first=Gavin, last=Bridge, work=

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

, date=July 11, 2022, access-date=August 5, 2022 {{cite web, url=https://variety.com/vip-special-reports/the-fast-approach-to-streaming-content-a-special-report-1235302920/, title=The FAST Approach to Streaming Content: A Special Report, first=Gavin, last=Bridge, work=

, date=July 1, 2022, access-date=August 5, 2022 {{cite news, last1=Pierce, first1=David, title=Inside Cheddar, the Would-Be CNBC of the Internet, url=https://www.wired.com/2017/03/inside-cheddar-cnbc-internet/, access-date=August 5, 2022, work=Wired, date=March 30, 2017 Television terminology Streaming television Internet broadcasting New media