Gracenote, the content data business unit of Nielsen, released a new report providing data and insights on the changing state of free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) for distribution platforms and advertisers seeking to monetize consumer engagement with FAST programming. The report delves into the number of active FAST channels in key markets, the amount of available content and FAST program level metadata including type, genre, recency and exclusivity. Equipped with this intelligence, companies can better understand the rapidly evolving FAST landscape and position themselves for long-term success. The 2025 Gracenote FAST report is available for free here.
The number of active FAST channels in key markets including the U.S., U.K., Germany and Canada have nearly doubled since mid-2023 to more than 1,610 today according to the Gracenote report. Nearly three-fourths of the available FAST channels are in the U.S., the leading FAST market. Collectively, more than 178,000 unique programs, episodes and movies are available on FAST channels providing viewers abundant program options. The report taps Gracenote’s Global Video Data, the industry’s most comprehensive database of TV show and movie information.
Given the large and growing amount of channel and content choice available to viewers, user experience must be a priority for FAST just as it’s a critical element for any TV service seeking to monetize viewer engagement with content. The primary enabler of outstanding TV user experiences is program metadata comprising show-level attributes and descriptions and powering advanced content discovery and contextual ad targeting capabilities.
Other findings from the report include:
- FAST channel content is no longer an archive of old content, with more than 70% of it produced since 2010.
- Sports, reality and news/commentary programming make up the top three genres in FAST.
- Reality is the fastest-growing FAST channel genre with an increase of 626% from 19 to 138 channels since July 2024.
- The number of sports channels on FAST has more than doubled in the last year to 220 today.
- Entertainment is the most common FAST channel genre, accounting for 303 channels. Gracenote defines the entertainment genre as TV programs that are presented in a non-story-based format and usually filmed live in a studio.
“FAST is in many ways a unique service, but its lifeblood is still content,” said Tim Cutting, Chief Revenue Officer at Gracenote. “So, program-level metadata providing understanding of FAST content is more important than ever to audience engagement and advertising initiatives.”
Gracenote’s industry-leading program metadata covers 40M+ titles in 260+ streaming catalogs in 35 languages and 80+ countries. The same metadata that powers the user experiences of the world’s biggest and most innovative TV providers also enables data-driven decision-making to help content distributors and owners succeed amid rapid change.
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