Accelerating FAST Revenue With Live News and Sports
The FAST space is experiencing explosive growth. Global revenues are projected to exceed $8 billion this year, according to Omdia, and the number of channels has more than doubled since mid-2023, now exceeding 1,600 worldwide (Gracenote). But with rapid expansion comes rising expectations. Platforms no longer want channels that simply fill space. They demand content that drives engagement, ad revenue, and repeat viewership. The bar is much higher: content must be immediate, authentic, and often exclusive. That's why the next phase of FAST will be defined by real-time, high-value live news and sports content as platforms compete to capture and keep audiences.
Why Live News Belongs on FAST
Live news has long been a cornerstone of traditional broadcasting; it’s timely, trusted and essential for linear audiences. But translating that value into the FAST environment presents new challenges. Unlike linear, FAST is fragmented across platforms, constrained by complex digital ad workflows, and burdened with rights issues. Breaking news and weather alerts are especially difficult to deliver within VOD-based channels built around pre-recorded and archived content—particularly for leaner teams lacking big budgets or advanced tech infrastructure.
LTN solves this with a fully integrated, IP-based distribution model that enables real-time insertion of live news, weather alerts, and other time-sensitive content into FAST channels—without disrupting ad workflows or requiring costly infrastructure. Our technology empowers lean teams to operate with speed and precision, seamlessly blending live and on-demand programming while maintaining rights compliance and maximizing monetization opportunities.
Today, those barriers are starting to fall. Smarter IP infrastructure, dynamic channel playout workflows, and automation enable broadcasters to deliver live news into FAST ecosystems with speed and precision. Major players including national broadcasters and the BBC are launching 24-hour live news channels to FAST, while digital-first innovators are building hybrid channels that blend live coverage with curated, pre-recorded segments. By integrating national news and localized breaking stories into a single stream, new broadcasters can expand digital audience reach across multiple, diverse markets. This empowers them to deliver real-time news experiences that FAST audiences can’t get anywhere else.
Maximizing Ad Value With Live and Local Strategies
Live content drives attention. On FAST, that translates to longer watch time, increased returning viewers, and higher ad value. News is especially well-suited to the format: its habitual viewership, high-frequency output and consistently refreshes by the hour. This rhythm keeps channels sticky top of mind for global viewers. According to Gracenote, news is now the fourth most popular genre on FAST, constantly growing with over 100 dedicated news and commentary channels in the market.
While archive reality or entertainment content dominate FAST, live news offers smarter scalability and stronger monetization potential. A single live feed can now be versioned into multiple tailored outputs including regional variants, local market versions, or platform-specific formats. One major U.S. network that LTN partners with has leveraged this approach to launch multiple live FAST channels from a streamlined core, delivering localized news experiences curated with market-specific content, graphics, and ads. This level of real-time customization boosts viewer engagement and unlocks more precise ad targeting, driving higher CPMs and greater revenue potential.
FAST workflows purpose-built for live content, not just cloud playout and ad enablement, are essential for localized channel deployment at scale. To meet rising expectations, content owners must leverage automation across the full FAST chain: from acquisition and distribution to real-time source switching and dynamic ad signaling. Broadcasters are under pressure to generate meaningful ROI from new digital linear channels, without significant capital or operational expense. Product teams are being challenged to deliver scalable solutions without adding operational overhead. The good news: with the right combination of reliable, video-first IP transport and intelligent automation, spinning up and operating a multitude of high-performance, live-enabled FAST channels is not only possible – it’s already happening.
Show Me the Live Sports
Live sports is rapidly gaining traction on FAST and platforms are proving they can support a wide range of event-based programming. Tubi’s Super Bowl stream drew over 13 million viewers this year. However, it’s not just marquee events. Sports leagues like the Pro Volleyball Federation, NBA G League, Formula E and MLB are tapping into FAST via platforms like the Roku Channel through accessible, ad-supported models.
As pay-TV costs rise, more viewers are willing to watch ads in exchange for free access to live sports. For emerging leagues and teams, FAST offers a scalable, cost-effective path to expand digital reach, monetize more events, and engage fans—without the limitations of traditional broadcast rights agreements.
Winning Real-Time Engagement With Automation at Scale
As FAST channel operators aim to control costs and maximize revenue, automation is no longer optional, it’s essential. From smart playlisting and rights management to content replacement and multi-platform delivery, media teams are demanding single-source workflows that support lean operations without compromising quality. Pressure is mounting to create polished, high-performance FAST channels with fewer resources. By consolidating playout, ad- decisioning, and monitoring into one integrated system, broadcasters can streamline operations, reduce overhead and launch new channels to market faster than the competition.
With over a thousand FAST channels now live, not all are optimized for live content. The winning formula is clear,particularly for sports channels evaluating live events alongside classic games and news channels aiming to enhance localization. They’re finding success through the right mix of live programming, automation, and tailored experiences. Whether reinventing linear channels for digital, spinning up hyper-local news feeds, or launching live sports for underserved audiences, these elements are key to standout FAST performance.
[Editor's note: This is a contributed article from LTN. Streaming Media accepts vendor bylines based solely on their value to our readers.]
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