Industry Insights: The evolving role of FAST and CTV for local stations

For local broadcasters, streaming and FAST are no longer optional, they are becoming essential extensions of how stations reach and serve their communities.

In this final part of the Industry Insights roundtable, vendors explore how local stations are positioning streaming within their broader strategy, from extending linear reach to building future-ready distribution models. The discussion examines what content resonates in local streaming environments, how audience expectations are evolving and which signals indicate success beyond raw scale.

It also highlights the operational and technology decisions enabling multi-platform delivery, alongside the growing importance of discovery in CTV ecosystems where audiences don’t always seek out local content directly.

Key takeaways from this Industry Insights roundtable

• Streaming extends local reach: FAST and streaming platforms are expanding access to local content beyond traditional broadcast audiences.
• Content remains consistent: Local news, weather and regional sports continue to perform strongly across both broadcast and streaming environments.
• Success goes beyond scale: Early wins in local streaming are measured through audience engagement, new demographics and advertiser interest, not just total viewership.
• IP enables flexibility: IP-based distribution allows stations to deliver content across multiple platforms simultaneously without rebuilding workflows.
• Discovery is critical: Passive discovery through recommendations, apps and platform guides plays a major role in how audiences encounter local content.

What role do streaming and FAST play in a local station’s overall mission today — extension of linear, experimentation space, or future core platform?

Hadar Tel Mizrahi, senior product manager, targeted ads and recommendations, Viaccess-Orca: Today, streaming and FAST still operate primarily as an extension of linear television, expanding reach to audiences who increasingly consume news and local content on connected TVs and mobile devices. Looking ahead, as viewing continues to shift towards streaming and users show greater tolerance for ad-supported models, FAST is expected to evolve into a core distribution channel.

Rick Young, SVP and head of global products, LTN Global: Streaming and FAST channels are becoming an increasingly important extension of local broadcast operations as stations look to maximize the value of their programming and rights agreements. It is standard SOP to ensure that a single live event — or even a single story — should appear across multiple environments, including broadcast television, station apps, and streaming platforms. Stations gaining the most traction treat each event as a flexible asset that can be adapted for different platforms without rebuilding production workflows.

How do you decide what must exist on streaming versus what still belongs exclusively on linear?

Dave Dembowski, chief revenue officer, Operative: As audiences move to streaming, media companies have more data than ever to analyze their business and create content and advertising programs that maximize their revenue. Looking at audience behavior and advertiser demand can help broadcasters make profitable decisions on streaming.

What internal signals tell you a local streaming effort is succeeding, even if the audience is still modest?

Rick Young, SVP and head of global products, LTN Global: Organizations are finding new, younger demographics as well — these are the viewers that have abandoned the traditional regular, linear scheduled based, newscast model. Even modest streaming viewership can generate meaningful interest from advertisers seeking targeted or cross-platform campaigns into these new demos. Further, early success in local streaming is often reflected in operational improvements rather than audience scale alone, particularly as stations experiment with new distribution models.

What types of local content have translated best to streaming and FAST so far?

Rick Young, SVP and head of global products, LTN Global: Live local programming has proven particularly well suited to streaming platforms and FAST channels, especially when it involves strong community interest. Regional sports provide a clear example, as fans tend to follow their teams across broadcast television, streaming platforms, and station-operated apps. Local news has also translated effectively into streaming environments because audiences consistently seek timely updates on breaking stories, weather conditions, and events affecting their communities.

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What have you learned about audience expectations for local news, weather, and events on streaming versus broadcast?

Rick Young, SVP and head of global products, LTN Global: Audience expectations for local programming remain largely consistent regardless of whether viewers access it through broadcast television or streaming platforms. Viewers continue to rely on local stations for trusted news coverage, accurate weather updates, and access to regional sports and community events. What has changed is how audiences encounter that content within streaming environments. Instead of navigating traditional channel lineups, viewers often access programming through apps, FAST channels, or platform guides that organize available content in different ways.

What technology decisions have had the biggest impact on the ability to launch or sustain local streaming?

Rick Young, SVP and head of global products, LTN Global: The transition toward IP-based video transport has significantly expanded broadcasters’ ability to support streaming distribution. Traditional satellite and fiber systems were designed for fixed delivery paths, while modern content strategies require live events to reach multiple platforms simultaneously. Purpose-built IP distribution can match satellite reliability while providing far greater flexibility and cost predictability, allowing broadcasters to spin up multiple channel variants or live event feeds for digital distribution without additional CapEx investment.

How do local stations think about discovery when viewers may not actively search for local content on CTV platforms?

Hadar Tel Mizrahi, senior product manager, targeted ads and recommendations, Viaccess-Orca: Active search mainly serves viewers who already know what they want to watch, but much of CTV viewing is driven by passive discovery. Local stations can therefore rely on personalized recommendations, contextual content rails, and targeted promotions to surface relevant local programming to the right audiences. Using viewing behavior and identified audience segments, platforms can expose local content even when users are not actively searching for it.

Rick Young, SVP and head of global products, LTN Global: Discovery has become an important strategic consideration as local stations expand into connected TV environments, where audiences often encounter programming through app interfaces, recommendations, and digital program guides rather than traditional channel surfing. Ensuring that local content remains visible within these environments requires thoughtful distribution strategies. Many stations are responding by making their programming available across multiple streaming ecosystems where audiences already spend time, including FAST channels, station apps, and third-party streaming platforms.