Rakuten Report: European FAST Channels Now Mainstream Viewing, 73.7% Weekly Engagement
Rakuten's report, "The FAST Advantage," presented at SXSW London, indicates that 73.7% of Europeans watch FAST channels weekly, with 80.1% considering it a primary viewing method. The study, involving 750 European consumers across five markets, highlights FAST's maturity as a mainstream option and a strategic opportunity for content owners to monetize content and grow audiences in Europe. Rakuten TV Enterprise leverages this trend by connecting content owners with platforms and monetization opportunities.
Key Takeaways
- 73.7% of European viewers watch FAST channels daily or several times per week.
- 80.1% of surveyed Europeans consider FAST a primary way to watch TV or an alternative to paid streaming.
- 60.7% of European viewers expect to increase their FAST usage, with only 4.3% planning to reduce it.
- 82.3% of European viewers are willing to accept advertising on FAST channels.
- 45.9% of viewers use FAST channels to inform decisions on SVOD subscriptions to use, and 29.9% to decide which to cancel.
Why It Matters
The high adoption rates in Europe confirm FAST's transition from an emerging trend to a core viewing behavior, signaling its critical role in content distribution and monetization strategies. This widespread acceptance, coupled with high ad tolerance, provides content owners with an established avenue for audience growth and revenue generation beyond traditional subscription models. Moving forward, continued expansion of localized content and strategic platform partnerships will be key indicators of sustained FAST market growth across the continent.
Additional Context
The findings from Rakuten's "The FAST Advantage" report align with broader European market trends. Samsung TV Plus, for instance, has been actively expanding its European presence, with a focus on local broadcaster relationships, sports content, and creator-led channels, as reported by 3Vision (May 2026). Their data indicates significant growth in entertainment and scripted TV channels, with sports consistently ranking high in new channel launches across Italy, Spain, and Germany. This suggests a strategic move by major platforms to cater to local preferences and diversify content offerings beyond traditional library content. Additionally, Eurovision Sport recently expanded its free streaming service onto UK FAST platforms, including Free Live Sports, Plex, Amazon Live, and Samsung TV Plus (Broadband TV News, June 2026). This move by the European Broadcasting Union aims to broaden access to live sports beyond traditional broadcast and streaming apps, demonstrating FAST's growing importance for premium content distribution. Rakuten TV itself continues to expand its FAST offering, recently adding four themed channels to Zattoo in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (Broadband TV News, June 2026), further solidifying its position and the overall growth of FAST within the European streaming ecosystem.
Read full article at msn.com
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