Explosive Growth of FAST
FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) continues to grow at an impressive pace. In 2025, the number of channels increased by 21%, reaching 1,960+ channels globally with 178,000+ programs.
Yield Management Era
The trend has shifted from "launch as many channels as possible" to "yield management era". What matters now is not how many channels, but who controls:
Screens
Home screen placement on Smart TV determines which content gets discovered.
Identification
Universal IDs (Gracenote, TMS) determine who can be tracked and measured.
Demand
First-party data and audience signals control ad targeting.
Economics
CPM rates, fill rates, and programmatic deal access.
Power Consolidation
Platform-native FAST services (Samsung TV Plus, Roku Channel, LG Channels) are winning over destination FAST apps. Power is consolidating among platforms that control the home screen.
Challenge for operators
Operators think "launching FAST is easy" → face go-to-market complexity, lack of metadata enrichment, low CTR in discovery. Without Gracenote IDs and enriched metadata, content is invisible.
Sports & Reality — Growth Drivers
Two categories are driving FAST growth:
- Sports — doubled to 220+ channels. Rights holders recognized FAST as viable distribution.
- Reality — +626% growth (from 19 to 138 channels). Perfect for 24/7 linear format.
Role of Metadata
Without quality EPG/metadata, a FAST channel is invisible in discovery:
Discovery
Search and recommendations require rich metadata
Programmatic
Contextual ad targeting needs genre, mood, rating
Measurement
Attribution requires Gracenote/TMS IDs
Personalization
AI recommendations need emotional metadata
EPG Service Solution
EPG Service provides complete FAST channel support:
Metadata Enrichment
Genre, mood, cast, ratings, imagery — everything for discovery.
Universal IDs
TMS/Gracenote-compatible IDs for measurement and attribution.
Fast Integration
8-week go-to-market through proven workflows.
24/7 EPG Updates
Real-time schedule synchronization.
Launching a FAST channel?
EPG Service provides metadata enrichment, universal IDs, and 8-week go-to-market for your FAST channel.
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