September 26, 2023 6:00am PT

Content Strategies of the FAST Free Radicals

The rise of FAST saw many big media and entertainment companies buying or launching their own services.

Paramount, né Viacom, kicked off the trend in 2019 with its acquisition of Pluto TV, then Fox bought Tubi, Amazon launched IMDb Freedive — which became IMDb TV, which became Freevee — Comcast launched Peacock, bought Xumo and then sold a stake in the latter to Charter, and Google this year launched FAST within Google TV.

That is a litany of entertainment heavyweights. Yet not all media companies with a considerable content vault (see page 29 of VIP+’s December 2022 “Life in the FAST Lane” report, which explains content vaults) opted to build their own service, instead deciding to distribute channels agnostically. Coincidentally, many of these are what VIP+ has termed content arms dealers for SVOD.

Today’s analysis showcases the channels available from what VIP+ dubs the “FAST Free Radicals,” or media giants with no ties to a particular platform. The channel counts are based on the following services: Freevee, Google TV, LG Channels, Local Now, Peacock, Plex, Pluto TV, Redbox, Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus, Tubi, Vizio WatchFree+ and Xumo Play.

A+E Networks

A+E Networks has a deep content vault that has yielded 26 FAST channels so far. The latest batch of five launched on Samsung TV Plus in September, and all were single-IP channels (channels based on a single show or franchise): Bring It! by Lifetime, I Survived by A&E, Little Women: LA by Lifetime, Storage Wars: LA by A&E and Mountain Men by History.

This is evidence of the brandification of FAST, which is seeing more and more channels featuring either — or in this case, both — TV or show brands in the title in an effort to ensnare the viewer.

A&E has a blend of both genre-curated channels — Crime 360, Movie Favorites by Lifetime — and single-show channels, as it taps into the well of content it has at its disposal.

AMC Networks

In contrast to A+E, AMC Networks leans heavily into genre-curated channels. This is a decision based on reality — the hits that put AMC on the map, such as “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad,” were created by Lionsgate and Sony Pictures. With only “The Walking Dead” breaking through the zeitgeist for AMC-produced shows, only that and cult phenomenon “Portlandia” have channels.

Instead, AMC leans into the content it creates across AMC, IFC and WEtv, as well as having an upsell channel for the ALLBLK SVOD service. It shouldn’t be a surprise to ultimately see upsell channels launch for Acorn TV and Shudder, two other micro-SVODs that AMC operates, in the coming months, as AMC looks to maintain its position as a leading FAST destination.

Banijay Rights

Global content producer Banijay Rights currently has six FAST channels in operation in the U.S., with the company favoring recognizable single-IP brands, including “Fear Factor” and “Deal or No Deal” for its channels. The most recent, “Love Quest Powered by Banijay,” suggests a change in strategy, veering toward more genre-curated channels and to put the Banijay brand into consumer consciousness.

With Banijay the producer of unscripted shows such as “Survivor,” “Big Brother,” “Temptation Island” and “MasterChef,” as well as scripted hits “Peaky Blinders” and “Black Mirror,” more big-brand channels will be on the way at some point.

BBC Studios

BBC Studios has embraced FAST with gusto, ahead of fellow British giants ITV and Channel 4. As of September, the Beeb has 10 active FAST channels, with these a blend of recognizable IP including “Top Gear,” “Antiques Roadshow” and “Doctor Who” and genre-curated channels that tap into the BBC’s rich legacy in particular areas, including food and nature documentaries.

Fremantle

Global production giant Fremantle has also leaned heavily into FAST. There are 13 single-IP channels currently operating, with channels for instantly recognizable content “The Price Is Right,” “Baywatch,” “Family Feud” and Jamie Oliver. A recent strategy has been to launch genre-curated channels such as “Quip,” “Sleuth” and “Cook Chop Chat,” which ties together lesser-known individual shows into destinations.

Given that Fremantle produces global hits — “Got Talent” and “[Pop] Idol” — the potential for the media company to have 30 channels within a year’s time is very high.

Lionsgate

Independent film and TV studio Lionsgate currently operates 11 FAST channels in the U.S., with the vast majority of these geared around a single show. The exception to this rule are the “–Sphere” line of channels, which tend to focus on a specific genre outside of the original “MovieSphere,” which is for Lionsgate-produced films.

PBS

Public broadcaster PBS has been active in FAST for several years but has recently expanded its offerings to include channels such as PBS Food. Perhaps seeing what British equivalent (and sometime partner) BBC has managed to achieve, the increase in channels feels long overdue, particularly for a company with a rich history of shows perfect for FAST — "Nova,” “American Experience” — as well as broad documentaries and the “Masterpiece” line. Anticipate PBS to get into the double digits for channels very soon.

Sony Pictures

Sony Pictures is another company that realized the potential in FAST years ago. It launched the Cinevault line for movies within its content vault, and Game Show Central to capitalize on its Game Show Network cable channel. Sony also leaned into its international properties, launching several Spanish-language channels and one in Hindi for U.S. audiences.

One noticeable thing is the lack of single-IP channels from the Sony content vault. At some point, a “Breaking Bad” channel could materialize, much as a “Jeopardy!” one has on Pluto TV. Those and other non-movie genre-curated channels are things to expect from Sony as it moves into 2024.

Warner Bros. Discovery

Both components of Warner Bros. Discovery — WarnerMedia and Discovery — were considerably late to the FAST game. That changed in February 2023, when WBD launched channels on Roku and Tubi. (In fairness, WBD subsidiary MotorTrend Group beat it to the punch with the launch of MotorTrend FAST TV in October 2022.)

The media giant currently operates 15 channels, with the WB TV line of channels only available on Freevee, Roku Channel and Tubi. All of these channels are genre curated, and unlike media companies A+E Networks, Paramount and NBCUniversal, which have their channel names included in FAST channel titles, WBD has none.

That’s one area of considerable white space for a company able to call upon brands with loyal followings, including Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, TCM and DC Comics.

Another FAST realm where WBD is lagging are single-IP channels. It has none. Given that WBD is relatively new to FAST, this could be due to internal conflicts between those who currently license content and are wary that their individual earnings will decline and those who have the best interests of the company at heart from a revenue standpoint.

And yet it’s a little foolish. A “Batman” channel, featuring classic movies, shows and animations, would be a license to print money and would not cause people to cancel subscriptions to Max. Linear viewing à la FAST serves a different need than when a title is sought to be viewed on-demand and by not leaning into this in the same way as competitors NBCU and Amazon MGM is leaving money on the table.

WEBINAR REPLAY: FAST Leaders Chart the Format’s Future

Should WBD eventually look to the NBCU model, anticipate channels based on older episodes of hits such as “90 Day Fiancé,” “Property Brothers,” “Mythbusters” and “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” alongside channels themed to classic hits from Adult Swim, Cartoon Network and the Warner Bros. Animation vault and leaning hard into the TCM library.

WBD’s current FAST offering is just the tip of the iceberg for what’s possible to garner additional revenue for a company that’s $44 billion in the red.

Others

In addition to the giants of media analyzed individually, there are many other media companies that have pushed hard into FAST. Canadian broadcaster Blue Ant Media has six channels in the U.S. (also distributed worldwide), with a representative confirming to VIP+ that the Love Nature channel is an extremely strong performer for many of the services carrying it, a fact VIP+ has subsequently confirmed with the services.

Bloomberg operates two FAST channels, and diginet giant Scripps Networks has successfully launched extensions of its many properties, such as Bounce XL and Ion Mystery, as well as a national news channel Scripps News.

Hallmark, Revolt, TV One, Fuse, Reelz, Ovation and British broadcaster Channel 4 are other TV network operators that offer FAST channels to platforms based on their content vaults. And the numbers can be expected to swell as operators seek more brands consumers recognize as FAST becomes even more like TV.

Dig into the data-filled VIP+ subscriber report ...