Nearly a third of the US population will be free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) viewers by 2027, accounting for a total of 114.5 million viewers, according to our September 2023 forecast. That large audience base, coupled with the rise of new players and the abundance of ad inventory, is making FASTs increasingly appealing to media planners—especially those on a budget.

Easy adoption: FASTs have a low entry point on both the audience and advertising sides, our analyst Ross Benes said.

• For viewers, it’s free, and they don’t even have to log in. Channels from hardware manufacturers like Roku's owned channel, Samsung’s TV Plus, and Vizio’s WatchFree+ have boosted the accessibility of FAST services.
• For marketers, it tends to be cheaper, widely distributed across devices, and ads can be bought programmatically with ease.
• FASTs get a fair amount of easy usage for those who don’t want to choose what to watch or for those who watch passively, Benes said.

The catch: Passive viewing may mean fewer people engaging with your ad.

Premium content is generally reserved for subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services, while FASTs tend to offer older licensed reruns that viewers are less likely to be glued to week after week.

Distracted viewing has always been a part of TV, Benes said. “It’s what a lot of linear TV business models have been built on in the past.”

FASTs make up 12% of US time spent with connected TV (CTV), per an April 2023 survey by TVision Total View.

The opportunity: FAST content may be lower in audience demand than original SVOD content, but that helps keep ad costs more affordable. And, because of its full reliance on ad revenue, ad loads are abundant.

“You have to be really certain, commit a lot of money, and know what you’re doing if you’re going to pay the prices that Netflix, Peacock, and Max command,” Benes said. FASTs, on the other hand, are more feasible for businesses that want to advertise in streaming, but aren’t the largest corporations in the world.

It makes for safer, lower-stakes testing ground for companies like local car dealerships and direct-to-consumer brands, Benes said.

The future: Viewers may spend more time on FASTs due to the slowdown in new, premium content production.

In 2023, 516 US original scripted TV series were released, down from 600 the year prior, per FX Networks. “Studios are having to be more judicious,” as a result of the writers’ and actors’ strikes and increasing financial pressure, Benes said.

“If content production continues to slow down, the share of time spent on new shows will go down,” he said. “That would place more emphasis on old reruns, and that’s where FASTs could benefit.”

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