A new report says FAST (free, ad-supported TV) channels are making steady inroads worldwide.
The report commissioned by cloud-based SaaS technology specialist Amagi aggregates data from its proprietary platform, Amagi ANALYTICS on viewership and content monetization trends on top ad-supported platforms across the U.S. & Canada, EMEA, APAC and Latin America.
It says the pandemic has led to a significant increase in Smart TV (CTV) adoption, giving a boost to FAST services. As of 2021, almost 83% of households in the United States have at least one CTV, used by at least one person every month. At the same time, advertisers are shifting their dollars from traditional TV to streaming TV, with marketers estimated to spend over $25 billion on advertising-supported video by 2025.
“With the undeniable shift to CTV, free ad-supported models have emerged as front-runners in the race for consumer attention and ad revenue,” said Srinivasan KA, co-founder, Amagi. “For both content owners and advertisers, this means now is the time to monetize premium content through an ad-only business model. The consumer demand is there – and they are telling us they want more FAST platforms and linear channels, rather than on-demand experiences.”
Based on impressions and hours of viewing, the Amagi report reveals different genre preferences across regions. While news is the top genre in the United States, EMEA is more interested in documentaries; in Latin America movies get the most viewing, while food brings in the maximum number of ad impressions.
