Experts Talk Packaging and Selling Sports on FAST at Streaming Media Connect 2025
On Wednesday, May 21, at Streaming Media Connect, Ashling Digital Founder & CEO Michael Nagle moderated the panel “FAST Break: Packaging and Selling Sports on FAST.” The panelists set out to answer these questions: What do FAST sports channels look like? What kind of sports programming works on FAST? How do successful FAST sports channels target audiences and satisfy advertisers at the same time?
The panelists were Christy Tanner, Chair, Swerve Sports; Tom Buffolano, Head of Business Development, Tata Communications; Pamela Duckworth, Head of Fubo Studios; and H. Robert Muzac, Director of Operations, HRM International Media.
Key takeaways included the following:
- The newest buzzword in sports streaming is “ascendant sports.” Think bare-knuckle boxing, trampolining, and lacrosse. There’s even a sport called slap-fighting.
- Like the first rule of Fight Club, the old rules of streaming no longer apply, especially when it comes to bringing in younger viewers. For example, Gen Zers get their recommendations almost exclusively from social media.
- There’s no reliable analytics tool for FAST like there is for broadcast TV with its Nielsen ratings. This lack of standardization is hurting the industry.
- FAST platforms are having trouble with traditional monetization avenues, such as sponsorships. The programmers and the advertisers both need to think outside the box and share information.
- When it comes to marketing sports, giving the audience what it wants is still priority No. 1.
Niche Sports Streaming
Nagle opened the panel by asking how streaming opens the door to niche sports. At Tata Communications, Buffolano partners with Formula 1 racing, soccer, and college sports. He helps customers with cloud-based solutions for efficient content management, including posting on socials after a live sporting event.
Tanner’s Swerve Sports is big into ascendant, or niche, sports, including trampolining and cheer. She described FAST as an additional monetization option in streaming, with the suggestion to think of FAST as marketing for your sport or team that also makes you money.
Duckworth noted that she gets daily pitches for new sports for Fubo Sports to stream; her favorite so far has been slap-fighting. Fubo Sports also carries bare-knuckle boxing, which has gained a healthy following.
Muzac produces a show called Lacrosse Legends, which is now in its fifth season. He said getting the show onto FAST gave it legitimacy beyond only being a YouTube show. Muzac reported that the show’s variety—human interest stories, clips of current games, etc.—helps make the sport relatable, because he’s spoken to people, even today, who have never heard of lacrosse.
Tanner shared research on Gen Z that Swerve Sports has been doing, which made her realize the old rules of streaming no longer apply. Gen Z cares the most about 1) football, 2) basketball, and 3) combat sports. This surprised some executives. Not realizing that different audiences may want different content can be limiting to creativity, she cautioned.
Definitions
Nagle concluded the introduction to the panelists by defining what FAST is for anyone new to the concept: It’s free, advertising-supported streaming television. It arrives OTT, such as via a smart TV. Nagle said viewers can get hundreds of FAST channels through OTT platforms.
Duckworth spoke about Fubo as “the mothership” because it’s a cable replacement that works with legacy media; for example, she’s run promos on ESPN for Fubo Sports. This type of cross-promotion has been effective in helping viewers find the content they want that ESPN might not necessarily be showing. Her example was an ad for a Mother’s Day all-women MMA fight that was very successful for Fubo Sports.
‘Good, Old-Fashioned Marketing’
Duckworth’s story reminded Nagle of the importance of “good, old-fashioned marketing.” He asked Tanner about her strategy as an independent FAST channel. She emphasized the need for strong social engagement because Gen Z discovers almost all of its media on social channels. Athletes who are active on social media will see a rise in viewership.
Buffolano added that FAST is part of a bigger media strategy for his customers and agrees that it all dovetails into using social media to reach audiences. When you’re looking for audiences that aren’t your hardcore fans, he said, FAST can test the waters to see what draws viewers in. For Formula 1, for example, a programmer can create a FAST channel for one driver to gauge interest in them.
Standardization in Analytics
Nagle bemoaned the lack of standardization in how FAST viewership data is collected and interpreted. Many FAST platforms don’t require registration, so there’s less precise viewership information, he said. Muzac uses social media analytics—clicks, likes, and shares help him see, for example, which colleges to feature. Duckworth praised Fubo’s analytics team, saying it gets great data.
Buffolano worries standardization is tied up with monetization. He explained that if the platform gives viewers something of value, they opt in, so the platform can collect demographic data on them. Viewership data then becomes a natural part of programming strategy, because engagement leads to a higher CPM, thus creating more revenue potential for advertisers. If there’s no standard data, how can advertisers make decisions about where to put their money?
Tanner agreed that this is a problem. She believes that the FAST industry doesn’t have high enough expectations for its analytics, which holds the free streaming space back and leads to a lack of trust from advertisers. Swerve Sports attempts to get the most out of its data, she said, but FAST channels could be serving users better—since they use people’s data to sell them ads, they could provide people more of what they want, satisfying both advertisers and viewers.
How FAST Monetization Can Improve
Duckworth asked, why don’t platforms share data? Tanner chalks the answer up to a legacy media mentality that negotiations should become a “bloody battle” instead of a chance for platforms to help each other. Everyone would make more money if people shared their information, she asserted.
Duckworth brought up how difficult it is to use sponsorships for monetization in a FAST environment because there’s no reliable data to show sponsors their ROI. Muzac has also struggled with getting sponsorships. He suggested a Nielsen ratings system for FAST, joking that he was going to leave the panel to go invent one. (Or was he? …)
Concluding Thoughts
Tanner underlined the importance of executives getting on board with FAST in order for practices to change. They don’t watch FAST and it’s not top of mind for them, she said, based on her experience. The industry must treat FAST like a premium experience—that is, the stakeholders need to want to serve audiences interesting and engaging programs. Nagle concurs, stating that focusing on the audience is Marketing 101. He noted that a platform must follow its audience’s lead in order to mature.
Tanner closed the panel by urging everyone to look into the FAST space. The more people know about it, the more it will grow and improve. Nagle concluded with this advice: Look at the data, and program like people are watching.
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