The video entertainment revolution means we enjoy “TV” in many different ways. We watch live events while on the sofa, we binge shows on-demand via paid streamers while in bed, and we see clipped content via social media on our phones when out and about.
It is the evolution of the gogglebox. At industry conferences this season the excitement is around a new format of TV that some believe will change once again the way we watch our favourite shows. It is called FAST, which stands for Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television.
The channels offer content targeted at niche audiences by focusing on sub-genres of interest. Some channels are dedicated to a single show with cult appeal. Originally a feature of connected TV sets, the channels have taken hold in America and are growing in the UK across multiple platforms.
From last month, Virgin TV customers were offered a raft of FAST channels, at no cost. They are dedicated to such sub-genres as ghosts (HauntTV) and talk shows (The Chat Show Channel). Single-title channels, such as Baywatch and Great British Menu, schedule episodes back to back.
For British broadcasters struggling to compete with Netflix and Disney+, this is an opportunity to broaden reach. Last month UKTV launched its first four FAST channels, linked by sub-genre.
They will be hosted on Pluto TV, Samsung TV Plus and Amazon Freevee, three of the strongest-performing FAST platforms in the UK.
Channel 4 last week entered the market in America with 4 Adventure and 4 Emergency, its first international channels. The format is the “hot topic” at TV conferences, says Alex Wall, Channel 4’s head of streaming editorial. “It’s definitely something we are interested in exploring because it feels like such a booming market.”
Watching is a different experience to subscription services like Netflix, she argues. “You tend to see shows in self-contained episodes and it doesn’t really matter if you haven’t seen the previous one. You can dive in without having to commit to the full five hours of a series.”
The 4 Adventure schedule juxtaposes exploits from Bear Grylls with Noughties reality show Shipwrecked. 4 Emergency will introduce American audiences to Channel 4 hits such as 24 Hours in A&E and Emergency Helicopter Medics. Channel 4 also has a format of Come Dine With Me (hosted in the UK by the Samsung TV Plus).
The argument for the channels contends that paid streamers put pressure on customers by offering too much choice. Having selected a show, the subscriber feels obliged to give it their full attention and see it through to conclusion. With FAST you can multi-task and not feel guilty. It also reinvents the linear TV tradition of scheduling, where shows are selected for you, but within the confines of a theme.
The channels are more of a “sit-back experience”, says Jonathan Newman, general manager, commercial, at UKTV. The format offers broadcasters like UKTV, owned by BBC Studios, a better chance to compete with streaming giants.
“It’s a new audience for us and a really interesting way to extend our reach,” Mr Newman says. “You have so much fierce competition from the streamers that having a way to mitigate some of that through a FAST proposition is going to be really important.”
UKTV’s chosen channel themes are comedy (Laughs), vehicles (Full Throttle), 999 (Heroes) and history (Uncovered). All carry the UKTV Play brand in the hope that viewers will seek out its on-demand service. BBC Studios has launched title-specific FAST channels in the US for shows such as Top Gear and Antiques Roadshow.
I hope it strengthens British TV. Channel 4, which is set to begin in-house production, sees an opportunity. UK-based production giant All3Media is a partner in Virgin TV’s move into FAST. Its subsidiary, Little Dot, a digital content business and media network, is behind several channels, including nature-themed Real Wild.
Virgin TV’s commitment is “an important opening where [FAST] becomes more mass-market.” says Richard Young, director of FAST at Little Dot. “We have seen a lot of growth in the UK.”
But media analysts have doubts. Pointing to downward pressure on TV advertising from the cost of living crisis, Alex DeGroote is “dubious” about an anticipated financial windfall from a capacity for targeted advertising to niche audiences.
Ian Whittaker is more sceptical still. The historical prevalence of free TV in the UK means we do not have the same appetite for FAST as Americans, who are used to paying for content, he says. “FAST will take up a lot of time and effort but is unlikely to lead anywhere major.”
