FAST surpasses 1,600 channels, with 70% of content less than 15 years old

By NewscastStudio • March 12, 2025

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Free ad-supported streaming television, or FAST, is no longer dominated by older content, with more than 70% of programming produced since 2010, according to a new report from Gracenote, a Nielsen-owned data provider.

The “2025 Gracenote FAST Report” provides insights into the FAST ecosystem, detailing the number of active channels in key markets, content availability and program-level metadata, including type, genre, and recency. The findings aim to help distribution platforms and advertisers navigate the expanding FAST landscape.

The number of active FAST channels in markets such as the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Canada has nearly doubled since mid-2023, reaching more than 1,610 channels.

The United States leads the sector, accounting for nearly three-fourths of all available FAST channels. Across these platforms, more than 178,000 unique programs, including episodes and movies, are available.

The report highlights how FAST content has moved beyond being an archive for older programming. Alongside the increase in recent content, the genre composition of FAST channels continues to evolve.

Sports, reality, and news/commentary are the top three genres, with reality programming showing the fastest growth. The number of reality-focused FAST channels increased 626% since July 2024, from 19 to 138 channels. Sports channels have also expanded, more than doubling to 220. Entertainment channels, which include non-narrative, studio-based programming, remain the most common genre, with 303 available channels.

“FAST is in many ways a unique service, but its lifeblood is still content,” said Tim Cutting, chief revenue officer at Gracenote. “So, program-level metadata providing understanding of FAST content is more important than ever to audience engagement and advertising initiatives.”

Gracenote’s metadata covers more than 40 million titles across 260 streaming catalogs in 80 countries, supporting content discovery and data-driven decision-making for distributors and content owners. The full report is available for free from Gracenote.