Daily video consumption hits five-hour peak as FAST adoption reaches 70%

The return to pandemic-era viewing levels without the catalyst of lockdowns suggests a permanent habituation to heavy streaming consumption. For the ad tech stack, the 70% AVOD/FAST adoption rate confirms that ad-supported models are no longer secondary to SVOD, but are essential for reaching a mainstream audience that is increasingly cost-conscious but service-heavy. The high dwell time on smart TV home screens identifies a critical programmatic opportunity upstream of the apps themselves. Executives should watch for further integration between OS-level discovery tools and FAST channel listings as the primary solution for the rising 'app-hopping' friction reported by 40% of viewers.

The TiVo findings align with broader shifts across the CTV landscape captured in early 2026. Per the VAB’s 12th annual streaming report in April 2026, ad-supported streaming now reaches 209.4 million U.S. viewers, and the market has reached a critical tipping point where non-pay-TV households finally outnumber traditional pay-TV homes. This migration is reflected in corporate earnings; Xperi reported in May 2026 that its Media Platform revenue surged 45% year-over-year to $12 million in Q1, driven by its TiVo One ad platform which reached 5.5 million monthly active users.

Competition for the home screen surface is also intensifying as hardware manufacturers pivot to software-driven revenue. Per Samsung Ads in June 2026, nearly 90% of smart TV owners use the home screen as their primary discovery starting point, returning to it more than five times daily. This behavioral shift coincides with massive growth in inventory; Gracenote reported in late 2025 that the number of available FAST channels grew by 21% year-over-year. As viewers follow content rather than specific platforms, legacy models are being replaced by hybrid services that bundle fragmented local and live sports content to maintain retention.