Behind the Growth of International FAST Content
You’ll often hear discussion around the overall rise in free ad-supported streaming TV channels, as well as how focusing on Hispanic content is also a priority for most FAST services.
But there’s a third category of channels that needs considering alongside those two: international FAST.
These are channels that originate from abroad and are in a language other than Spanish or English. As detailed in the latest incarnation of VIP+’s data-filled “Life in the FAST Lane” special report, these channels cross all genres, from global news to true crime to drama. (See the report for a full genre breakdown, as well as availability by region.)
It is also a quickly growing space. There were 39 international FAST channels available in the U.S. at the beginning of the year, and that figure has now grown almost threefold, to 116.
A prime factor for this is Dish Network’s FAST service, Sling Freestream, which went from having 8 international channels in January to 94 in August. The majority of those are satellite livestreams from MENA, Pakistan and India, and 83 of them are only available on Freestream.
The majority of FAST platforms do carry at least one international channel, with content from Africa or Korea the most popular. Of the major platforms tracked by VIP+, just Google TV, Redbox and Tubi have no international channels. Plex, Local Now and Roku all have considerable offerings, with Xumo Play and LG Channels also offering a decent selection.
The most distributed channels list is dominated by those featuring Korean content. Korean entertainment companies like CJ ENM and NEW ID have seized the opportunities FAST brings, with NEW ID also distributing content from China (“OnDemand China”) and Asia (“Rakuten Viki”).
These channels are typically curated by the operator, allowing for a scheduled and planned viewing experience based on time zone, unlike the livestreamed satellite channels that dominate Sling Freestream’s lineup.
While Korea has embraced the essence of FAST, spending time at the 2023 Broadcast Worldwide conference — which returned to Seoul in 2022 after a pandemic-imposed break — led VIP+ to understand that media firms from China and Japan are not yet ready to countenance the free distribution of content in return for ad revenue.
This mirrors the challenges FAST originally faced when getting off the ground in the U.S. and, more recently, Australia and is something that is more a question of when, not if, these companies engage FAST.
NEW ID is the largest distributor of international FAST (also offering a Spanish “Pinkfong Baby Shark” channel, two kids channels in English and one dedicated to billiards), with other large distributors hailing from India, such as Shemaroo Entertainment, Hum Network, Jang Media and Raj TV.
Also worth noting is that the majority of European channels are news based, with EuroNews offering a total of five channels. As with the reticence of Japanese and Chinese broadcasters to jump into FAST, anticipate European companies to create curated channels in the coming years as the international FAST format continues to grow.
Now dig into the data-fueled VIP+ subscriber report ...