Free advertising-supported streaming television (FAST) can deliver a highly lucrative revenue stream for content owners. But launching FAST channels requires thought and planning. Simplestream CEO Adam Smith talked to Digital TV Europe about the FAST opportunity and the challenges in getting up and running.
Free advertising-supported streaming television (FAST) is now one of the fastest growing forms of video distribution. The format โ a combination of free-to-view linear and on-demand content including unskippable linear ads is seen as a way for content rights-holders to make real money from underutilised assets as well as to complement their subscription services.
OTT technology provider Simplestream has just released VOD2Live, a new FAST-enabling product. For Adam Smith, the companyโs founder and CEO, FAST appeals to a wide variety of content providers with an equally varied set of strategies and business models.
Adam Smith
โWe have startups launching services from scratch on FAST. Itโs very interesting because it provides access to global audiences that they just wouldnโt get if they were to launch an app in an App Store with a modest marketing budget,โ he says.
Launching an OTT app, with the all the cost and complexity entailed, holds real prospects of making significant revenues only after six months or a year from launch. Launching a FAST service with the major aggregators such as Samsung TV Plus and Pluto TV, on the other hand, gives content providers immediate access to a global audience a slot on an EPG and the chance to generate revenue immediately.
FASTโs appeal is wider, however. For traditional broadcasters, it holds the promise of attracting a younger audience. It enables rights holders to make money from their back catalogues by launching niche thematic channels, perhaps based on a single show, that could not justify the creation of a dedicated OTT app. And for all players, it means showcasing their content on connected TV…