Tag: FAST channels

Basics of Streaming explains how workflow orchestration connects scheduling, playout, advertising, rights, metadata, and distribution so FAST and linear channels can scale without proportional increases in staff. As more operations become automated, accurate data, validation, and clear system ownership become…

Basics of Streaming explains why a large content library doesn’t automatically create a viable FAST business. Programming discipline and performance data determine whether channels build repeat viewing, generate meaningful ad inventory, and justify further investment, distribution, or shutdown.

FAST channel launches have gotten cheaper, but profitability still depends on generating enough audience and ad revenue to cover programming and operating costs. A channel keeping 35% of ad revenue needs about $28,600 in gross monthly revenue to cover $10,000…

India added nearly 78 million connected-TV viewers in 2026, lifting its CTV audience 60% to 206.9 million. The growth expands the opportunity for premium advertising, subscriptions and long-form viewing while giving TV platforms more control over discovery, billing and customer…

YouTube’s expanding Stations beyond music to creator programming, media channels and podcasts, turning existing catalogs into continuous, always-on streams with live chat. The format gives YouTube a FAST-like channel business built on content it already hosts, creating more lean-back viewing…

From the Archives revisits how Samsung TV Plus turned Samsung’s smart TV installed base into a recurring media, advertising, and distribution business. By embedding FAST programming directly into Tizen, Samsung reduced customer acquisition friction while gaining control over discovery, ad…

From the Archives revisits how Pluto TV turned aging television libraries into a recurring revenue engine by packaging catalog programming into scheduled FAST channels and monetizing connected-TV viewing through addressable advertising. Viacom’s $340 million acquisition gave the company direct consumer…

Streaming’s biggest constraint isn’t content supply, it’s attention. IMAX, Netflix, Spotify, Disney, Roku, FAST, bundles, and AI all point to the same business reality: urgency drives the first action, habit drives return visits, and the customer relationship determines who captures…

Skip argues that FAST has moved from growth story to clutter problem, with real audience demand now exposing how many channels were built around supply instead of viewers. His analysis frames FAST’s next phase around curation, platform power, advertiser selectivity,…

Basics of Streaming breaks down why Server-Side Ad Insertion (SSAI) is foundational to monetizing Connected TV. SSAI eliminates device instability, ensures consistent measurement, and preserves stream continuity—key to reliable ad revenue, especially in FAST and hybrid models. As more CTV…