Amagi’s latest report into FAST services show the format is delivering a significant impact to the business for TV networks and D2C streamers.
The cloud-based SaaS technology has released the 12th edition of its Global FAST Report.
It found expansion of broadcaster-owned channels in FAST by almost two and a half times had delivered a 40% share in total Hours of Viewing (HOV) across these channels.
Additionally, among Amagi-delivered FAST channels, Global HOV (31%) and ad impressions (26%) continued to show double-digit growth during the comparison period (Q2 2024 versus Q2 2023).
“The latest edition of our report highlights the substantial role FAST plays in the streaming ecosystem,” said Srinivasan KA, Co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Amagi. “With TV networks accounting for a substantial portion of the top channels and viewing hours, it’s clear that FAST provides a great avenue for traditional media companies to draw additional revenues in the digital age. This report also underscores the ongoing double-digit growth in global HOV and ad impressions, demonstrating the robust health of the FAST market.”
“While regional differences remain in the types of content found on FASTs, the concept of free linear channels as a popular delivery mechanism is a universal phenomenon,” said Alan Wolk, Co-Founder/Lead Analyst at TVREV and a contributor to the report.
The Amagi Global FAST Report draws on data from the 50 FAST services and 5,000-plus channels using Amagi Thunderstorm, the company’s Server-Side Ad Insertion (SSAI) platform.
It finds consumers are finding themselves increasingly comfortable with the format, so much so that 75% of Amagi’s Consumer Survey respondents indicated they would create a free profile on a streaming service to sample FAST channels, and more than half would enter their credit card information. The whole premise of FAST is that is Free and Ad Supported, so in theory a viewer need not enter their details to enjoy the service.
