What are the biggest trends impacting FAST right now?

Three of the biggest trends we are seeing are:

• Better User Experience: This includes everything from better integration between linear and on-demand, improvements to the interface, better recommendations and personalization.
• A Push To Quality: Now that FASTs are growing up, they are getting rid of their lower-performing content and replacing it with more premium content. The fact that studios are now licensing these sorts of shows to the FASTs helps too. This means that the notion that anyone who owns some content can magically stand up a FAST channel and monetize it is coming to an end.
• More Local Content: FASTs are adding in local news and other local programming. Most is coming from local broadcasters, the rest from streaming-only services. But overall, the demand for local programming is high.

What are the biggest challenges those working in FAST have to overcome?

The notion that it’s not “real TV” is a big challenge. So is the lack of transparency around data. Advertisers feel they are not getting enough feedback on where their ads runs and rights holders also feel they’re not getting adequate viewing stats. That needs to change if FASTs are to succeed. The other challenge is that there is not much consistency across the FAST ecosystem. Some of the bigger players can sell fully intact channels to the FAST services with shows that run at the same time across all of them. But for most, the FASTs are curating their own channels, which makes it challenging for advertisers. 

What is one thing you wish FAST professionals had a better understanding of?

There is so much confusion about nomenclature. It’s as if people don’t seem to realize that there are FAST services like Pluto TV and The Roku Channel, and that those services have linear channels (aka “FAST Channels”) and on-demand programming. Some people insist on talking about the on-demand content as if it is separate or referring to “FAST Channels” as if they were somehow detached from the services they ran on. But if you’re an advertiser, your inventory runs on both linear and on-demand—it’s not as if they sell them separately.  There’s also a lack of understanding about the different types of FAST services, the idea that FASTs attached to device OEMs are very different than FASTs owned by the major media companies and the growing range of independent FASTs. And that there is also considerable overlap between all three. 

What are the top 3 things that attendees should go hunt down on the show floor to expand what they just learned in your sessions?

• I would look at what the OEMs are doing with their FAST services- how are they integrating them into the main interface so that they are front and center of the viewer experience.  
• Talk to the independent FAST services and those attached to major media companies as well.
• Finally, I would attend some sessions on advertising, since FAST is all about advertising.

What discussions should they be having with the exhibitors? 

Ask them about what they are doing to differentiate themselves from other FAST services. What is their competitive advantage for consumers? For advertisers? For content owners?