The Next Trend in FAST Channels: Dual-IP

Why run a single-IP channel when you can go dual?

[EDITORIAL NOTE: My friends at FilmRise drew my attention to a stark omission that I had from this analysis when I first published it. I have amended the text below to take that into account, and am making this analysis free to all readers to get that fact out there]

As someone who has been drawing attention to Single-IP channels for a long time, I feel like it is my duty as a steward of FAST analysis to note that April 2024 may be the month when Dual-IP channels began to garner attention across the industry.

What a Dual-IP channel is, is self-explanatory. Instead of a channel that’s either curated or Single-IP based, a Dual-IP channel is one that features nothing but episodes of two complementary shows.

What is interesting is that Dual-IP channels have existed for a very long time within FAST. Once FilmRise gently reminded me about the Hell’s Kitchen | Kitchen Nightmares channel (which I had somehow merged with the two Single-IP channels in my mind and forgot also existed) I checked the FASTMaster Database and found that it was there in my first ever sweep of the FAST market back in October 2019.

Thus FilmRise should be rightly lauded as being the originators and pioneers of a Dual-IP channel. Hell’s Kitchen | Kitchen Nightmares is, as of May 2024, available on five of the 18 services FASTMaster tracks monthly: CW, Freevee, Plex, Roku Channel and Vizio WatchFree+.

There was then a very long lull in the market, with years passing by until Freevee was the next company to embrace the concept of a Dual-IP channel. The success of Jury Duty in spring 2023 saw Freevee launch the Judge & Jury channel in June 2023, which featured a blend of Jury Duty episodes and Emmy-award winning Judy Justice. The concept must be working as the channel is still available 11 months later.

BBC Studios were next organization to seize this concept, launching Silent Witness & New Tricks on Freevee in October. Freevee, it should be noted, is also the only FAST platform to currently offer more than one Dual-IP Channel. Distribution of the channel has since spread, with Plex and Tubi picking it up by December 2023 and Roku Channel adding it in February 2024. To date, Silent Witness & New Tricks is only the only Dual-IP channel to be available on multiple FAST services.

The final Dual-IP channel to be launched comes from A+E Networks and is currently a Pluto TV exclusive. Pickers & Pawn by History combines American Pickers with Pawn Stars and is likely the tip of the iceberg for this format. I expect there to be announcements for more channels like this during May for the NewFronts, Upfronts and XFronts as it means companies can create additional channels by combining existing Single-IP channels (and still run those, such as FilmRise’s example or the example of American Pickers existing as a Single-IP channel on Samsung TV Plus and as part of a Dual-IP channel on Pluto), or create a channel where there may not be the library to support a full channel (Jury Duty being a fine example of that).

**I imagine technically an argument could be made for The Walking Dead Universe to be the first Dual (or Tri?) IP channel available, but I see that as more of a Franchise-IP channel. Fairness dictates that we should at least note it here and see what the industry thinks. Should you consider this to be a Dual-IP channel then note that it launched in September 2020 on Freevee (I am sensing a pattern here) and is available on 8 of the tracked FAST platforms as of May 2024: LG Channels, Plex, Pluto TV, Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus, Sling Freestream, Vizio WatchFree+ and Xumo Play.