FAST Plus, What is it and why was it developed?
The digital transformation for broadcasters has been a rapid and challenging process, and many broadcasters were not ready for the level of agility and innovation required.
View TV developed FAST Plus, a solution that takes the positives of FAST Channel Broadcasting and marries it with decades of learning in over-the-air broadcasting. FAST Plus covers the following main points requested by traditional broadcasters:
- Minimal change in the current business operations and practices of the broadcaster,
- Provide a revenue model to sustain and grow revenues across the business,
- Provide a service that requires no additional broadcast knowledge or skills within each broadcaster.
FAST Plus delivers broadcast revenues!
FAST Plus is an ideal solution for traditional broadcasters who want to transition to the streaming TV era, using their existing infrastructure or OTT playout-based FAST Channels. FAST Plus enables broadcasters to increase their return on their existing investments.
The power of FAST Plus allows broadcasters of all sizes to leverage the opportunities and additional revenue streams of streaming TV over the public internet.
What is traditional FAST?
FAST is a term that stands for Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television. It is a streaming service that offers users access to various channels and content without requiring a paid subscription. Instead, users watch ads during scheduled breaks, similar to traditional TV. FAST differs from other streaming services that either charge a monthly fee or offer limited content for free. FAST TV aims to provide a cable-like experience over the internet, with a wide range of genres and categories.
Some of the benefits of FAST TV are:
- It is free and easy to use. Users do not need to create an account or sign up for anything to watch FAST TV. They can download an app or visit a website and browse the channels.
- It offers a lot of content and variety. Users can find channels for specific shows, movies, genres, themes, or interests. For example, Pluto TV has channels for Star Trek, British Comedy, Cult Films, and more. Users can also watch local news, sports, and live events on some FAST TV services.
- It reduces the stress of choosing what to watch. Users do not have to search for something to watch on demand. They can flip through the channels and watch whatever catches their interest. FAST TV also provides a sense of discovery and serendipity, as users might stumble upon something they have never seen before or enjoy watching again.
Some of the drawbacks of FAST TV are:
- It has ads and interruptions. Users have to watch ads during the breaks, which might be annoying or distracting. Some FAST TV services. Users cannot skip or fast-forward the ads or the content.
- It has limited control and customization. Users cannot pause, rewind, or resume their watching content. They also cannot choose what episode or season they want to watch, as the service pre-programmed content. Users might miss out on some content if they tune in late or switch channels.
- Some FAST TV services might have geo-restrictions or licensing issues that prevent them from offering certain content in some regions.
FAST TV is a growing trend in the streaming industry as more users seek free and convenient ways to watch content online. Some of the most popular FAST TV services are Kapang, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Tubi, Peacock, IMDb TV, and Crackle. Each service has features and offerings, so users might want to try out different ones to find their favourite.
Why is traditional FAST failing?
Traditional FAST channels are not meeting the expectations of the audiences, who demand premium content. They want to access live sports, news and events, but the current business model that is driven by technology companies does not support the high-cost channels that viewers prefer.
The main challenge for the broadcasters is the low revenue share that they receive from the FAST platforms, due to the involvement of multiple third parties that provide various services for FAST, such as transcoding, CDN, SSAI, ad-fill and distribution. These third parties take a significant cut from every ad dollar, leaving the broadcasters with less than a third of the revenue, but with more than two-thirds of the costs. This makes the existing FAST solution unsustainable for the broadcasters.
What is FAST Plus?
FAST PLUS is an advanced solution for the next generation of FAST broadcasters, who can achieve much higher revenues due to the efficiencies within the ecosystem.
The FAST PLUS ecosystem harmonises the needs of broadcasters and FAST platforms, making it very easy for all stakeholders to participate in the same market. FAST Plus broadcasters are confident about their downstream revenues and return on investment, using the same business principles as cable and satellite distribution.
“FAST Plus is a cutting-edge solution for streaming TV broadcasters of any size, who can have full control and ownership of their advertising and sponsorship revenues. FAST Plus provides all the essential services required for streaming TV, such as transcoding, CDN, SSAI, ad-fill and platform distribution, with a simple SaaS fee model. FAST Plus enables the broadcaster to avoid revenue sharing and to maximize yield opportunities. FAST Plus is the future for streaming TV, where revenues depend only on the number of hours watched on any platform.”
Jamie Branson – Founder of View TV
How do you get FAST Plus?
FAST Plus is available across CTV Platforms, KAPANG was the first platform to take on FAST PLUS in both the UK and the USA to provide an initial unhindered solution for any broadcaster wanting to get online device agnosticically.
Create a FAST Channel using FAST Plus across a number of global platforms without changing your existing playout provider or get Cloud TV Playout
