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 a ...

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 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 series ...

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 ...

. 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's

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 S ...

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 ...

, NBCU's

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' 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 peafowl are r ...

(which has both free and subscription versions), Fox's Tubi and ITV’s

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

service * FASTs owned by device manufacturers: Amazon Freevee (previously IMDb TV), The Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus, LG Channels and Vizio 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'

Newsy Newsy is an American news network headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, and owned by the E. W. Scripps Company. Its content is available for free on OTT platforms including Pluto TV (which inserts short-form ''Newsy Briefs'' into commercial brea ...

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 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 genres 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 channel A specialty channel (also known in the United States as a cable channel or cable network) can be a commercial broadcasting or non-commercial television channel which consists of television programming focused on a single genre, subject or targeted ...

s, 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, 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, a ...

, 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