Professional Essentials: Your guide to free ad-supported streaming television

Free ad-supported streaming television, also known as FAST, has already become a major player in the broadcasting industry.

This makes it an exciting time to be in the business, with new channels and services launching left and right. Content and platform owners are also challenging the rules and norms that this young niche has already established.

From a content producer or owner’s perspective, monetizing millions of hours of programming that might otherwise go unused is now possible. With low barriers to entry, it’s possible to dream up a FAST channel for just about any type of programming, genre, or niche. Sure, not every channel will be a runaway hit, but they don’t necessarily have to still bring value to consumers and content owners. The rise of FAST is also challenging linear television and subscription video-on-demand services, SVOD, like never before, and there’s a flurry of activity to come out on top once the dust settles.

FAST also has the potential to upheave the advertising industry. Ad tech innovations deliver new ways for marketers to reach consumers, but there’s always the fine line of just how many ads are too many. FASTs also bring new levels of targeting, dynamic advertising and analytics, including delivering better ROI and insights for advertisers.

FASTs are also eager to keep viewers engaged during advertising since losing eyeballs during breaks can potentially upend the company’s profit center.

All these launches, changes, tests, and tweaks make for a dizzying amount of information to keep track of. In this digital magazine, we’ve gathered experts from across the industry to share their insights into all aspects of FAST. We hope you find this information useful during this exciting but challenging time in broadcasting.

Download the Professional Essentials eBook now and discover how FAST is transforming streaming and the economics of the media industry. 

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