FAST & GLOBAL International FAST Channel Summit

What has been your FAST experience so far?

I’m a cable TV programmer by background, so driving audience growth and engagement on linear TV is my métier. FAST has proven that a cable-like, multi-channel linear experience still appeals to viewers. Now at Wurl, my engagement with FAST involves supporting content companies in creating and executing on their FAST strategies.

Why is it such a hot topic?

As traditional broadcast and cable business models continue to decline, FAST is expanding rapidly, and that’s exciting to people in our industry. Linear turns out not to be dying, but rather evolving to a streaming model that’s free and available from the moment you plug in your new smart TV. FAST has broad consumer appeal for two key reasons: 1) it’s free and 2) it provides a leanback experience where viewers don’t have to sift through an overwhelming number of shows to make decisions.

What are the next trends in FAST?

On the content side, I see more premium, more recognisable brands and IP — especially as bigger players start to get into the space, like Warner Bros., Discovery, NBCUniversal and Disney. Also, how the viewing experience evolves from the cable imitation EPG model to something new is a big question and big opportunity.

Cédric Dufour CEO and president, Rakuten TV Europe

What has been your FAST experience so far?

Rakuten TV acts as both a FAST platform and FAST channel producer. We’ve seen a significant increase of usage and revenue contribution on our platform since we’ve entered this segment. FAST enriches our content offering, broadens our customer base and gives more flexibility to our users on how they consume content.

Why is it such a hot topic?

What changed was technology and UI/EPG improvements on CTV [connected TV], which has allowed customers to watch hundreds of FAST channels mixed with their FTA line-up. For the channel producer, it is much simpler and cost-effective to build a channel and such a landscape is favourable to more niche or long-tail content to be exploited. There’s also a clear migration of advertising investment towards CTV, which helps solidify the segment’s growth.

What are the next trends in FAST?

More established content providers and broadcasters will put efforts in launching their own FAST channels, improving the overall quality and local relevance of the FAST channels line-up. Leading TV manufacturers including Samsung, LG and HiSense have entered this race early on, but more TV manufacturers will soon be in a position also to act as a gatekeeper for these FAST channel proposition.

Dave Bernath vice-president, sales & partnerships, Americas, Wurl

Shaun Keeble vice-president digital, Banijay Rights

What has been your FAST experience so far?

Banijay Rights has 21 live FAST channels, spanning various territories. We are launching more channels which will bring the number of live streams to over 80 — all dealt with by our skilled in-house team. We have the ability to build channels dedicated to single IP or aggregate genres, but to do this you need content volume which, for a major producer-distributor like Banijay, we have in the form of our catalogue.

Why is it such a hot topic?

I’ve always said that FAST channel distribution is complementary and incremental to linear TV distribution. So, it hasn’t quite come out of nowhere, but of course we can’t ignore the fact that macro-economic factors are making free TV [supported with ads] a compelling option for consumers. FAST is also very on-trend because of the continuing adaptability of distributors, with barriers to entry remaining low. This allows titles in third or fourth windows to per haps reach new audiences. In essence, all of this is permitting the advertising markets to continue to mature and adopt FAST.

What are the next trends in FAST?

I expect more premium content to appear in the FAST realm. But for this to hap pen, commercial models will need to adapt to the growth across key and emerging markets.