In an interview at the 2026 NAB Show, Amagi's Dan Marshall stated that future growth in the FAST market will rely on live programming to increase CPMs and engagement. He also identified trends including platform consolidation, pay-TV operators integrating FAST channels into their program guides (a practice he calls "front porching"), and the need for more sophisticated ad monetization. Marshall noted that Amagi has launched agentic AI-powered tools, like Newspulse, to help content owners manage costs and automate workflows at scale.
The era of easy FAST growth based on VOD library scale is ending, requiring a strategic shift toward live events to raise CPMs. Amagi’s focus on "front porching" and agentic AI tools addresses the market's two core challenges: finding distribution in a consolidated landscape and managing operational costs at scale. This puts pressure on platforms to support live streams effectively and on content owners to secure live-capable rights. The key indicator to watch is whether the CPM lift from initial live FAST experiments is sufficient to attract more premium sports and news rights holders.
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