FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV)

FAST platforms — Pluto TV, Tubi, Xumo, The Roku Channel — stream 24/7 linear channels over the open internet, supported entirely by ad revenue like traditional free-to-air TV. Viewers get a lean-back experience identical to broadcast: turn it on, pick a channel, watch. The underlying ad insertion, however, is dynamic and IP-targeted rather than one-size-fits-all.

FAST has exploded as a category because it replicates the consumer experience of free television without the infrastructure of broadcasting — no spectrum, no transmitters, no regulatory burden. For broadcasters, FAST is both a threat (consumers can now get a broadcast-like experience from non-broadcasters) and an opportunity (launching owned FAST channels extends brand reach into the streaming stack).