The FASTMaster May 2024 FAST Services Update
A look at who has the most FAST channels and more
Hello everyone and welcome to FASTMaster. I thought I would try something new this month. I will go through each of the FAST services I track with a comment on what I noticed. (Then hopefully later this month I’ll have the time to do this for the major FAST channel distributors…).
If you’re a paid subscriber, this post will also include a copy of this month’s report on the FAST services and key trends like Single-IP and Exclusive channels (I will hopefully also build those out into detailed posts in the coming weeks). Stay tuned for another report on the total number of channels in FAST which should be coming out at the end of this week!
(This is an example of what’s in the subscriber-only report in case you were curious). Roku now has over 500 FAST channels on offer, putting it only behind Plex and Sling Freestream in total offerings. Local Now once had over 500 but has begun to cut back but more on that below.
Before we dive into that, let’s look at the recent 2029 FAST forecast from Digital TV Research. I’m inclined to assume that this is FAST-only as they also provide AVOD and SVOD estimates broken out in other reports.
What looks weird here? Is it that the forecast for FAST has falled by $1.24 billion from 2028 to 2029, driven by the U.S.? It’s a little odd to see this, as I have come to trust Digital TV Research’s figures given they would actually include regions in their top 10 estimates which were missing from Omdia’s estimates (until the next wave were released) but I find the dips here very hard to reconcile. Tellingly, the Media Play News piece covering the release compared the FAST forecast versus 2023 and skirted why Digital TV Research has slashed its estimates.
By country, here are the changes between 2028 and 2029:
USA, down by -33.7% YoY (loss of $3.3 billion)
UK, up by 5.3% YoY (increase of $48 million)
Canada, up by 78.7% YoY (increase of $398 million)
China, not mentioned as a top FAST market in 2028 estimates
South Korea, down by -11.4% YoY (loss of $100 million)
India, up by 10.4% YoY (increase of $68 million)
Brazil, up by 52.5% YoY (increase of $230 million)
Germany, down by -0.6% YoY (decrease of $4 million)
Rest of World, up by 16.1% YoY (increase of $630 million)
Figures that are hard to wrap one’s head around.
Ok let’s go through the FAST services and things that stood out this month.
ABC
Added one channel: National Geographic: Locked Up Abroad
CW
Continues to add channels to its service, notably adding several Lionsgate channels.
Freevee
Has begun to follow the blueprint I so helpfully published in Variety for Netflix to enter FAST, namely creating channels based on old content. The first Single-IP channel to follow this format is The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel channel.
Google TV
No change.
LG Channels
No real change (added 6 new channels).
Local Now
Has really cut back on owned and operated channels in the last two months, instead focusing back on local news stations.
News by Fire TV
No change in national news and entertainment channels.
Peacock
Now that I am separating FAST from PAST, FAST remains broadly static but did add its first Lionsgate channel (Ghost Hunters). Peacock remains the crucible of innovation for PAST however.
Plex
Holding steady.
Pluto TV
Dropped the “TV” from Pluto-operated channels which were previously called things like Pluto TV Weddings (so now Pluto Weddings). Added Pluto back to many O&Os that had dropped the branding entirely (so Action becomes Pluto Action). Confusingly, MTV Entertainment-operated channels like Comedy Central Pluto TV remain named that way. Also added a UEFA Champions League channel which feels very belated.
Redbox
Also holding steady, no more big channel departures this month.
Roku Channel
Continues to slowly tick up with overall channel count.
Samsung TV Plus
Same as last month.
Sling Freestream
Holding steady overall but dropped a number of Shemaroo channels (perhaps super-micro-niche channels aren’t the best idea unless they can be marketed to the audience), TED and WaPo channels.
STIRR
Continues to be a thing in the wake of the Sinclair sale, but really how small of a thing… the only reason I track them still is because I have done so since 2019 when they were one of the pioneers of FAST.
Tubi
Static month-to-month but let’s discuss the recent comments on the earnings call where Lachlan Murdoch said FAST only accounts for 10% of viewing on Tubi. Considering that Tubi has had an AVOD-only approach since inception and feels like it begrudingly has added FAST just to sate analyst questions, this is not a surprise. Recent moves to do things that are standard across all other FAST platforms, like not group all the channels from one provider together or having more genres than “General Entertainment” and “Sports” suggest that on the down-low Tubi is actually beginning to bother with FAST (and stop being, as industry-insiders have told or shown me, a surprising under-performer in monetization for FAST given the scale). I’m not knocking their success in becoming the free Netflix, but it’s also worth considering that as Peacock and Paramount+ already have PAST and Disney+/Hulu looks to add PAST, an AVOD-dominated platform should boost its FAST to maximize the total audience. Maintaining this sneery “AVOD is the way, FAST is wild” attitude is not the way to realize one’s full potential.
Vix
Continues to cut channels. As I have been saying for a while here, this suggests that something is up with Spanish-language FAST in the U.S. Did it expand too quickly? Have the audiences not been told about it? Do Spanish-speakers feel served enough by what’s on TV? I am not sure if it is one of those or all the above but the monthly decline in available Spanish-language channels, both on Vix and on other platforms, is something to note.
Vizio WatchFree+
Held steady but added an interesting channel from Blue Ant Media in Nature Moments by Love Nature.
Xumo Play
Bid farewell to now former Chief Colin Petrie-Norris. :( Colin is a true gentleman, an innovator and a legend of FAST who doesn’t get his laurels enough. I wish him well with whatever he gets up to next, he will be missed.
In terms of channels, Xumo held steady but kudos for adding the language-agnostic kids FAST channel Shaun the Sheep & Friends.
That’s the rundown. Below this line is the link (I hope, I’m trying something new here) for subscribers to view the trends in charts and such. I hope you enjoyed this update and before you go, make sure you check out my analysis on Dual-IP channels and how FilmRise pioneered this format (as well as who else is active in this space).
If you can see this, thanks for supporting my work! Here’s the first report you’ll be getting this month (it should be beneath here with a Download option).
That’s all for now. Let me know if you have any thoughts on this!
