StreamTime Sports FAST Channels - Everything you need to know
May 31, 2023
Alan Wolk, industry analyst credited with coining the term FAST, gives a fast-paced primer on free ad-supported streaming channels. He defines FAST vs on-demand, explains how advertising and the FAST flywheel work, and explores why sports and niche content are especially well suited to this model. He also covers distribution gatekeepers, measurement headaches, and how FAST is evolving toward higher-quality, ad-supported TV-scale offerings.
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Use Contextual Ads For Sports
- Use contextual advertising to target sports fans without relying on invasive first-party data collection.
- Contextual buys improve transparency, measurement, privacy, and reach compared with current programmatic FAST buys.
Big Brands Still Want Reach
- Major brands value broad reach over hyper-targeting and will shift significant TV ad dollars into FAST and ad-supported SVOD.
- Alan Wolk says reach-first advertisers (Pepsi, McDonald's) want the scale FAST can deliver.
FAST Is A Global Growth Engine
- FAST is going global because many markets cannot sustain large subscription fees, making free or low-cost streaming essential.
- Alan Wolk highlights emerging economies and services like Hotstar as examples of FAST adoption worldwide.