Consumers are increasingly turning to free ad-supported streaming (FAST) services, with a 57% shift over the last year alone, according to Courtney Howell, Head of Media & Advertising Sales at Samsung Ads.
This adoption is driven by several factors, including the ability for marketers to reach audiences at scale and for consumers to access premium, high-quality content for free, especially if they have subscription fatigue or don’t want to pay for additional services.
“It very much looks and feels like linear cable television for marketers, there’s the opportunity as well to extend your reach beyond your traditional linear TV buy,” said Howell in an interview with Beet.TV.
FAST Programming Diversifies with Sports, Original Content
FAST channels are becoming more diverse in their programming, with a drive towards providing more sports-driven content, original content, and video content.
“We at Samsung have recently announced several different bespoke channels with, for instance, a Conan O’Brien and a Kevin Hart. So …