4 Reasons Why Platforms Launch Their Own FAST Channels
The new normal: everyone wants to be the programmer
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Pluto TV proved FAST could be more than a graveyard of reruns. Device makers and platforms took notes and after years of aggregating 3rd-party channels (and observing what works and what doesn't), they’ve started building their own channels. This shift toward owned and operated channels signifies a maturation of the FAST market. Rather than being simple aggregators, these platforms are evolving into true content curators, investing in their own channels to better compete, attract and monetise viewers.
This isn’t a hobby. It’s a playbook and like any playbook it rewrites the rules of engagement within the FAST ecosystem. Let’s find out how.
Today at a glance:
Not just aggregators anymore
How the trend translates in Europe
How platforms go about it
Why platforms do it
What changes now
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Mentioned in this edition: Pluto TV, ZDF Studios, Samsung TV Plus, LG Channels, Vizio, Rakuten, Xumo, RTL+, Joyn, TF1, M6, France Televisions, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, RTVE.
Not just aggregators anymore
Samsung’s plays:
Samsung TV Plus has two plays in FAST.
First, true Own & Operated (O&O), where it builds, brands and runs the feed itself, like Samsung Television Network, Samsung Showcase and Samsung Wild Life (all 3 channels are US-only). Rather than stick with one multi-genre flagship channel, Samsung Television Network focuses on action and drama television, Samsung Showcase features sports and outdoors content, and Samsung Wild Life caters to animal, nature, and history fans. In Europe, Samsung launched several O&O channels to address specific genres: Comedy Mix, Crime Mix, Entertainment Mix, Cine Mix, Wilder Planet, Mystery Krimi in Germany, Todo Crimen in Spain or Destination Nature in France.
Second, Licensed & Operated (L&O), where it brokers a deal with a content owner, licenses the IP (and therefore uses the partner’s brand) and runs the channel end to end. Their partnership with ZDF Studios is the perfect example of that strategy with channels like Terra X, Bares für Rares, ZDF kocht! or ZDF zu Hause.
LG’s flagship approach:
LG’s LG1 is taking a more wide-reaching approach with no genre-specific focus. LG1 launched in May 2024 in the UK and Germany, but has since expanded to France, Spain, and Italy.
In the US, LG has LG Channels Showcase, fueled by partnerships with major film studios such as Amazon MGM Studios, Lionsgate and Sony Pictures Entertainment. It hosts original content such as LG Presents: The Rivalries, The Taste of Tennessee and Estate of Survival, the company’s first reality competition series.
Roku is tiptoeing: