February 24, 2025
It is becoming pretty obvious that FAST platforms, while comprised of free ad-supported television content, are morphing into what we all recognized as basic cable.
Measurement criteria, channel placement and marketing continue to be lackluster. In fact, they’re even more aspirational than they were decades ago. Fill-rates for ads are, at best, sluggish. That will likely improve when Madison Avenue figures out that FAST is basic cable and not simply an alternative to it. Cable as we know it is likely only seven to eight years away from extinction. After that, advertisers will have little choice but to run ads where they can and in whatever form or formats the industry will accept. Product placement and embedded pixels will come into play (depending on the hardware capabilities), but that likely will require another 10-15 years before it becomes commonplace.
The major premium streamers offer a $7.99 version of their content with ads—these include Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, etc. Their ad-free models range from $19.99 up to $29.99.
Let’s face it. This is television. Words like broadcast, public access, syndication and so on need not apply. Viewer tracking like Nielsen had been imperfect (at best) for decades but the industry settled for that data as few understood the science of measuring consumption and reach on a good day. In 2025, the science of measurement isn’t more complex. In fact, platforms can see exactly how someone navigated to FAST and AVOD. Sharing that information is another story entirely. Platforms choose what to share and with whom they share it. There aren’t standardized yardsticks for viewing. It is akin to playing Monopoly at a friend’s house where the rules are not exactly the same as when you play at your own home with your own dice.
And what is channel management today? To launch a branded FAST channel the criteria typically suggest that you need 150-250 hours of content. Throw in a 15% minimum refresh of your monthly calendar and you have a conversation.
Many platforms (similar to cable MSOs) also own extensive libraries of content. Dedicated nostalgia FAST channels rehash and re-air full TV series on a wheel. Those series might be 50 years old or even five years. The average viewing duration is likely somewhere between eight and 22 minutes. Monthly refresh of the schedule is hovering somewhere between 12 and 25%. For smart TV players, this is all new revenue. Previously they were simply video monitors that displayed content from cable, satellite or VCRs, DVDs and DVRs. Now? They’re getting a piece of the ad revenue pie and they’re liking it.
Many streamers limit ad time per hour to no more than eight minutes. That doesn’t afford content owners much creativity when it comes to scheduling. If you’re invested in live content, that doesn’t always sit comfortably in a 26- or 52-minute ice cube tray. That fill rates aspire to reach 60% doesn’t help. When your distributor declines to split inventory with you and instead insists on filling ALL ad breaks, your revenue potential is beholden to their effectiveness selling the ads. Unless your brand can flex its muscle, you aren’t very likely to be successful convincing those partners to allow you to sell the ad time and write them a check instead.
Roger Daltrey of The Who once sang, “Meet the new boss—same as the old boss,” and for many industry veterans that has become truer than ever. As more channel launches have come from legacy cable and broadcasters, the concept of streaming being a haven for independent content has become less true than it was pre-pandemic. Streaming is not as much an alternative to legacy cable as it has become very much a reflection of it. Gaining carriage is easier if you’re selling a bouquet of 20 channels rather than one or two channels with content that might be seeking a new audience.
Since we’re talking about music, there aren’t many people who are unfamiliar with the song “Tomorrow” from the musical “Annie.” Similarly, the Beatles song “Yesterday” is one of the best-known pop songs of the past one hundred years. I don’t find much similarity between the two and even their subject matter is vastly different. Let’s hope that in the business of television our tomorrows are equally evolved from our yesterdays. The tech offers so much promise. Now, how to use it to its fullest potential?
