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FAST trend grows globally: New channels from Free Live Sports, CBC, and Pluto TV showcase demand for free, ad-supported streaming options.

The share of total TV time spent controlled by Pluto TV and Paramount+ (both of which are owned by Paramount Global) has barely budged over the past year, per Nielsen. While we expect Pluto TV鈥檚 CTV ad revenues to exceed $1 billion in 2025, its share of total CTV ad spending will actually drop slightly to 3.1%. Tubi has made considerable progress with viewers.

The emergence of free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels like Pluto TV (whose Canadian distribution rights are held by Corus Entertainment) and Tubi (whose distribution rights are owned by Rogers Sports & Media) is also bolstering time spent with digital video. Listening favors digital audio over radio. Digital audio will account for 56.9% of total time spent with audio in Canada in 2024.

This screen commands the heaviest share of viewer engagement and is addressable via multiple ad channels: linear or live TV spots; ad-supported video-on-demand services such as Netflix, YouTube, and a host of others; and free ad-supported streaming TV (aka FAST channels), including Pluto TV, Tubi, Rakuten, and Roku. Influencers are a key channel for targeting Gen Z.

However, YouTube and FAST services like Pluto TV and Tubi can provide additional context on the state of ad-supported streaming. Excluding YouTube, three of the top six streaming services with the most ad-supported viewers in 2024 will be FASTs: The Roku Channel, Tubi, and Pluto TV. These services tend to attract casual viewers.

Free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) services like The Roku Channel, Tubi, and Pluto TV will bring in tens of millions of viewers this year, though time spent with the platforms isn鈥檛 comparable to that of Netflix or YouTube, according to our forecast. Still, marketers should keep an eye on these streaming services, especially those with parent companies like Paramount or Fox that may be able to spin free viewers into paid members.

FAST platforms like Roku, Tubi, and Pluto TV are gaining buzz from viewers and industry professionals alike. Find out more about the FAST landscape.

Paramount鈥檚 restructuring and layoffs bely their challenged market position: Pluto TV and Paramount+ are attractive streaming assets, but may not be enough to help them increase market share.

On today's episode, we introduce you to the FAST (free ad-supported streaming TV) services (e.g., Tubi, The Roku Channel, and Pluto TV), explain how they became so popular, and look ahead to see what their ceiling is. "In Other News," we talk about whether the advertising space is on the mend and how significant of an ad player Microsoft is. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Ross Benes and director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman.

The fall TV schedule was once again disrupted by reduced content production. And marketers have moved more of their upfront budgets to streaming. Scatter price changes are more fluid. TV ad spend that isn鈥檛 committed upfront gets spent in the scatter market, where inventory is purchased closer to when ads run.

FAST channels like Pluto TV and Tubi have also added inventory to the video advertising mix. Sources. GWI.

You've got small players like Pluto TV, they're smaller than Peacock or Max or Roku Channel or Tubi or whatever, but they're bigger than someone like a Shudder. So I mean, what would you say the definition is there? Ross Benes:. Well, I don't think niche applies to the audience size necessarily. Pluto TV has sports and crime and drama and comedy.

Advertisers and tech vendors look to capitalize on CTV鈥檚 growing importance in digital advertising.

That will change, both as streamers such as Netflix and Disney+ increase their ad inventory and free ad supported TV (FAST) channels such as Tubi and Pluto TV gain popularity. In 2024, CTV will only account for $0.13 of the US digital ad spend per hour spent with digital per adult, compared with mobile, which accounts for $0.51, according to our 鈥淭ime Spent With Connected Devices 2024 report.