FAST channel count rises nearly 14% in 2025, Gracenote reports

The number of free ad-supported streaming television channels grew by nearly 14% since the first quarter of 2025, according to new data released by Gracenote, a unit of Nielsen.

The findings were published as part of the company’s updated Data Hub resource, which now includes insights on nearly 1,850 active FAST channels worldwide.

The latest analysis shows a 76% increase in FAST channel count compared to 2023. Gracenote’s Data Hub, launched in November 2024, was originally focused on catalog insights for major subscription video-on-demand platforms including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, Netflix and Paramount+. The expanded resource now provides visibility into more than 645,000 titles across SVOD and more than 197,000 programs across global FAST channels.

Gracenote data indicates that nearly half of all current FAST programming was produced in the last five years, compared to about one-third for SVOD services. Over an extended 15-year window, 80% of FAST programming is from that period, compared to 68.5% for SVOD.

TV programming remains the most dominant content type on both platforms. FAST services feature 93.1% TV content by episode count, while SVOD services include 88.8%.

In terms of recent content growth, SVOD platforms recorded a 13.2% increase in sports programming in the last quarter. Movies increased by 10%, and TV titles rose 9.2%. FAST platforms saw a 3.7% decline in sports content during the same period, though the category is up 14% year-to-date.

Genre analysis of FAST programming showed that documentaries accounted for the largest share at 16.1%, followed by drama at 10.6% and news at 9.9%. In terms of growth, news programming increased 37%, while horror rose 30%.

Among SVOD platforms, Amazon added the most new titles quarter-over-quarter, up 12.6%, followed by Paramount+ at 6.4%. Overall, the five major SVOD services saw a 9.8% growth in available content over the last three months.

Advertisement

Gracenote’s Global Video Data, which covers content in more than 70 languages and over 80 countries, supports the Data Hub. The platform is designed to assist video services, content owners and advertisers in making informed decisions about distribution, licensing and media investment.