FAST Market Poised for Significant Growth, Executives to Convene at Content London
Executives from Banijay Rights, Rakuten TV, Samsung TV Plus, and UKTV will speak at Content London to discuss the growth and opportunities in the Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV (FAST) sector. They will address content strategy, distribution, channel development, monetization, and platform partnerships within the FAST ecosystem, which is projected to reach US$12.2 billion by 2026. The discussions aim to provide insights into how content owners, platforms, and broadcasters are adapting their FAST strategies.
Key Takeaways
- The FAST market is forecast to grow to US$12.2 billion by 2026, with further expansion anticipated to exceed US$18.8 billion by 2030.
- The number of FAST channels increased by nearly 21% in 2025.
- Speakers at Content London will include Shaun Keeble (Banijay Rights), Marcos Milanez (Rakuten TV), Chris Gregory (Samsung TV Plus), and Andrea Amey (UKTV).
- Discussions will cover content strategy, distribution, channel development, monetization, and platform partnerships.
- The sessions will also examine how content owners, platforms, and broadcasters are adjusting FAST strategies for evolving audience behaviors.
Why It Matters
The increasing market valuation and channel proliferation in the FAST sector underscore its rising importance as a monetization and distribution channel in streaming. This growth creates new avenues for content owners and platforms to reach audiences and generate revenue through advertising. Industry stakeholders should monitor the strategies discussed by these key executives for insights into optimizing content acquisition, curation, and platform partnerships to capitalize on FAST's continued global expansion.
Additional Context
The global FAST market continues its rapid expansion, with projections indicating strong growth. According to Apprupt (May 2026), the global FAST market is anticipated to grow from approximately $10.6 billion in 2025 to $12.23 billion in 2026. Long-term forecasts place its value between $18.8 billion and $46.49 billion by 2030–2033, depending on the research firm. This growth is fueled by increasing consumer adoption of streaming, demand for cost-effective entertainment, and the rising availability of ad-supported content. Emarketer (May 2026) highlights that FAST is drawing more U.S. viewers seeking lower-cost streaming options, with 131.4 million Americans expected to use FAST services this year. Viewer engagement is also deepening, not just broadening, with some reports indicating a 43% year-over-year surge in U.S. FAST viewership, reaching 1.8 billion hours through August 2025 (Apprupt, May 2026). While the U.S. currently dominates the market, contributing approximately 90% of global FAST revenue, international markets are accelerating. Asia-Pacific is projected to be the fastest-growing FAST region, with premium AVOD revenues expected to grow from $8 billion in 2025 to over $12 billion by 2030, led by India, Japan, and Australia (Apprupt, May 2026). The Korean government, through its Broadcasting and Media Commission, is also actively developing a K-FAST ecosystem to enhance global competitiveness, noting that the global market size is estimated to reach $14.33 billion this year and is projected to grow to $31.29 billion by 2031 (AJU PRESS, June 2026).
Read full article at c21media.net
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