FASTs Are The New Cable, Part 1: The Ecosystem

A primer designed for those who are curious about the rapid growth of free ad-supported streaming TV services (FASTs), as well as those who are deep in the thick of it.

In this report, based on conversations with around one hundred key industry executives, we untangle the structure of the new FAST ecosystem, laying out who the major players are, their advantages and their relationships with other key players.

We also examine:

• Why data is so important for the FASTs and how it affects their UI and UX

• Why linear channels are so popular on the FASTs

• The value of curation to creating a successful service

• Why "free vs not free” is the biggest distinction between FASTs and other types of services

• The various types of entities standing up FASTs and linear channels

• The differences between FASTs owned by major media companies and those owned by OEMs.

There’s also a look at the future of FASTs that explores:

• International expansion

• Sports rights and original programming

• Why SVOD services are adopting linear channels too

• Creating a new flywheel from a 3-tier system (FASTs + SVOD)

• The trend towards personalization

• The role of local broadcasters

• Branded content channels

• The turn towards quality

And of course, Evan Shapiro’s latest map of the FAST ecosystem and Innovator Spotlight interviews with Katherine Pond (VIZIO), Raghu Kodige (LG Ad Solutions), Tom Ryan (Pluto), Sean Buckley (Magnite) and Srinivasan KA (Amagi)

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