Are We Reaching Peak FAST? With The Number Of Channels North Of 1,500 In The U.S., Industry Execs See A Shakeout Coming – But That May Not Be A Bad Thing

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The peak TV era may be over, but free, ad-supported streaming television is continuing to boom. With more than 1,500 FAST channels now operating in the U.S., though, is there a risk of that vast array of offerings overwhelming consumers and bogging down the programmers and distributors trying to manage them all?

The consensus among five executives speaking on a panel Tuesday at NATPE: The risk is indeed real, but as with all industry booms, the glut of channels is forcing all stakeholders to raise their games.

The result could be improved financial results and a better experience for viewers. “There were channels when we started that were really just slapped together,” said Laura Florence, SVP Global FAST Channels for Fremantle.

The test for any channel should be, she added, “Will viewers stay through a 2-minute ad break for it?” As the multi-billion-dollar FAST segment continues to evolve, programmers, advertisers and distributors should look to tried-and-true models of how the experience has worked best on commercial TV. “Things that have a beginning, middle and end” help keep audiences tuned in, Florence said. “I don’t think everything can last with 1,500 channels,” she added, given the ever-rising bar for execution.