FAST TV is tucked in between the worlds of cable TV and subscription-based streaming, and it’s a billion-dollar industry that’s changed how we watch TV. It stands for “free, ad-supported television”, and services such as Tubi and Pluto TV are among the most well-known platforms in the game.
As the monthly costs for streaming service subscriptions continue to rise — Disney Plus and Hulu are the latest examples — it’s time to pay more attention to streaming’s free counterpart. In the US alone, you can access more than 1,000 channels and thousands of films and TV shows by taking advantage of FAST TV. No contract, no fees and no worries about paying to share your password.
Free, ad-supported television is a form of streaming that delivers programming similar to cable, satellite or traditional TV. You can view FAST TV content on virtually any device at no cost; the only tradeoff is that you have to watch commercials.
Viewers will find a variety of content on a FAST platform, including TV shows, movies, reality series and live news. Depending on the service, you can watch titles on demand or stream prescheduled broadcasts. And the commercial load is typically less than what you get with traditional TV. According to a Nielsen report, audiences are attracted to classic TV on these platforms, and the addition of studio content from the likes of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), MGM and NBC on dedicated hubs is increasing viewership.