As viewing habits continue to evolve, one thing is increasingly clear: free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) has become an essential part of how some audiences watch television today. FAST may have started as a complement to subscription streaming, but it has quickly become a cornerstone of the modern TV experience – and a massively undervalued one at that. It offers viewers a familiar, lean‑back format filled with curated channels, live programming, and premium entertainment.
For advertisers, this shift presents a major opportunity. FAST gives brands access to high-quality inventory at scale, reaching engaged audiences across screens while complementing traditional TV and streaming buys. And as FreeWheel’s latest report shows, the most important takeaway isn’t that FAST is “free” – it’s that it performs like premium TV,even if the industry hasn’t fully recognized it as such. And that perception gap is becoming one of the biggest inefficiencies in TV advertising today. The truth is simple – FAST has scaled faster than its reputation and the time has come to recalibrate how we view its role in the TV ecosystem.
FAST Is Premium — Even If the Industry Hasn’t Treated It That Way
Across the industry, we talk a lot about “where viewers are going,” but we’re far less honest about where the advertising mindset has stayed. Viewers experience FAST the same way they experience TV: on the big screen, together, and with heightened attention.
According to FreeWheel’s research, nearly 80% of FAST viewing takes place on the television,1 where audiences are most immersed, and more than half (54%) of viewing sessions include two or more people – elevating the household impact of every impression.2 Crucially, ads on FAST are remembered: ad recall is 71% higher vs. short-form video, underscoring that the environment is built for brand impact, not background noise.1
Despite these signals, FAST has a brand problem. Not with viewers – they’ve clearly already voted with their time and their screens – but with advertisers, who still treat it as “less than” other environments without a clear reason beyond legacy perception.
In other words: FAST isn’t “cheap reach.” It’s a premium, lean-back experience that consistently delivers attention, recall, and results – three hallmarks of television.
FAST + Live = Premium Attention at Scale
Live content is a growth engine inside FAST, and a natural fit for brands that want attention. Sports and news have surged on FAST, with sports channels up +105% since last year and sports leagues curating channels that keep fans engaged before, during, and after live events.3 These moments behave like TV’s most valuable inventory: real-time, high-attention, and context-rich.
And importantly, these moments aren’t niche. They are happening at scale – often with inventory that goes unsold simply because FAST hasn’t’ been elevated into the “premium” category in the minds of some buyers.
For advertisers, that opens new, premium placements around the programming viewers care about most, without having to chase them across fragmented apps.
Bridging the Gap Between FAST’s Perception and Performance
FAST has become a powerful addition to the TV and streaming mix – not because it’s free, but because it delivers the premium viewing experience advertisers depend on. As FAST continues shaping the next chapter of TV advertising, it’s opening the door to smarter, more strategic media buying.
It also brings something else to the table: accessibility. A significant portion of FAST inventory transacts programmatically, which should be an advantage – ease, scale, flexibility – but in some corners of the TV ecosystem, “programmatically available” has ben incorrectly equated with “lower quality.” This false equivalence has held FAST back from being valued for what it truly is.
An equally important advantage: FAST gives advertisers access to audiences they’re increasingly missing on traditional TV – including cord‑cutters and light‑TV viewing households.** By delivering incremental reach and hard‑to‑reach viewers, FAST strengthens the scale and impact of a multiscreen TV strategy.
Like any maturing environment, there are also transparency gaps – often because content creators are limiting signal exposure to protect their direct business lines. Buyers feel that friction. Naming it isn’t a critique; it’s a call for action and improvement.
It’s time to retire the idea that FAST is anything other premium television. The data is there, the audiences are there, the impact is there. The final step is for the industry to refresh its mindset around FAST, bringing planning approaches in line with the way viewers are already engaging.
FAST is not the future of TV – it’s the present. And advertisers who plan it like premium video, right alongside all their other video investment dollars, will be the ones that win the hearts and minds of these hard-to-reach viewers.
Want to dig deeper? Download the full report: “Redefining Premium TV: Unlocking Smarter Buys with FAST.”
** Cord cutting HHs are defined as those with no TV service. Comcast HHs with a pay TV service that spent, on average, less than about one hour per day viewing were defined as “light TV” viewing HHs.
Sources:
- FreeWheel consumer survey conducted by Dynata. July 2025.
- Tvision. Networks: The Roku Channel, Amazon Freevee, Pluto, Tubi, and Xumo, Total HHs. January - June 2025.
- Comcast aggregated viewership data combined with ad exposure data. 10,000+ campaigns including both linear TV & any combination of FAST services including: Xumo, Pluto & Tubi; Local Market Advertisers; January - December 2024.
Posted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership self-publishing platform.
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