Did you miss the Amagi LA FAST 2023 conference? No worries – we’ve got you covered. If you want to learn more about the current and future state of Free Ad-supported Streaming TV (FAST), we’re sharing key highlights, trends, business insights, and more from our day-hosting content owners, creators, platforms, and advertisers.
Here's what you need to know ⬇️
Building a scalable FAST business
- From the start
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- Leverage viewers’ behavior patterns to find success
- Make content accessible, organized, and searchable
- Make advertising part of the user experience
- Distribution Insights: If something is worthy of exclusivity [and makes sense strategically], that’s OK, but most content should be everywhere to maximize scale and reach. – Kevin McGurn, President, Sales & Distribution, Vevo
- Foster collaboration
- Important to work in a business model that works for each platform
- Strategic partnerships for platforms are key to differentiation
- Secret to Roku’s success is platform leverage? A 1:1 relationship with the customer –Jennifer Vaux, Vice President of Content Acquisition & Programming, Roku
I appreciate how partners are leaning into FAST. FAST is not a dumping ground … it’s a place where people are coming … it’s content they love. -Jennifer Vaux, VP, Roku
- Viewer retention and engagement
- Guarantee a good customer experience
- Convenience: FAST is accessible, additive, and expands audience
- Shoulder programming provides more room for features than Pay TV
- “For us, shoulder programming has to be premium. It’s critical for us. The viewer knows this is a special channel being delivered to them, not just a playlist.” –Andy Reif, SVP of Programming and International, The Tennis Channel

Will FAST deliver on CTV advertising?
- Key takeaways
- FAST advertising can’t be your whole strategy
- It’s a small fragment of the ad economy on CTV
- Think holistically
- Impressions and scale are key
- Action is the new CPM – and it’s different for every customer
- It could be something as simple as watching a show trailer
- When you buy streaming, you are buying audiences
- FAST is not just dependent on originals but on reality, licensed content, and brand-safe content. And it’s cheaper.
- FAST is an opportunity for live events, especially for smaller communities + sports – a chance to cash in from a quieter brand perspective
- The future of ad tech
- How we buy is based on ad tech
- Is Shoppable TV coming? Amazon Prime Video will air a Black Friday NFL game, connecting the viewer experience with their commerce platform

What's ahead for FAST?
- Key takeaway: Premium original content, including sports
- How do we accelerate the journey?
- Appointment viewing for live and premium content
- Curation – but without restriction to viewers
- Linear for discovery - but let viewers seamlessly switch to other options if they want
- Get the viewer experience right
Want to learn more about FAST? ➡️ Visit our FAST Center
- The future for content providers
- High-quality content | Selective appointment viewing | Rich discoverability
- EPG hygiene needs to improve
- Higher tech expectations for content
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- “If [fans] are tuning in [to a sporting event], they want a high-quality experience. A college football game needs [at least] 10 cameras and high-level graphics. People expect this kind of level.” – Ken Kerschbaumer, Co-Executive Director, Sports Video Group
READ: FAST 101: A content owner's guide to Free Ad-supported Streaming TV
- The future for FAST services
- Multi-layered personalization
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- Personalize channel lineup
- Viewer-focused experienced
- Seamless mechanisms
- Agility in software upgrades - need to be faster and better
WATCH: Catch up on all of our panels from LA FAST
- The future for advertisers
- Rich ad formats
- Aggregated reach
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- Mechanisms for data to give to content platforms to target better
- Transparency and measurement
- What’s the next frontier of FAST?
- Jennifer Vaux: “I appreciate how partners are leaning into FAST. FAST is not a dumping ground … it’s a place where people are coming … it’s content they love.”
- Katherine Pond: “The space is becoming more and more crowded, forcing everyone to up their game, which is great for consumers.”
Miss out on this year’s LA FAST conference? Pre-register for LA FAST 2024 here.
Want to learn more? Sign up for Amagi Consulting Services.