NEW YORK—Amagi has released a new report finding large increases in ad impressions and hours of viewing among free-ad-supported TV streaming (FAST) channels in 2023, with ad impressions up 15% in Q3 2023 compared to a year earlier and up 28% in Q4 YoY.
The 10th edition of Amagi’s Quarterly Global FAST Report, also found that hours of viewing (HOV) showed significant growth over the same periods, increasing by 30% YoY in Q3 2023 and 26% in Q4. The study also found that new was the most popular genre globally and that it saw significant viewing increases.
"FAST's global audience continues to grow, offering advertisers new opportunities to reach consumers," said Bridge. "2024 will be a pivotal year for the medium as it looks to see ad spending catch up to viewing trends, as well as greater awareness of who the FAST audience is and why they are an attractive target."
Amagi's 10th Quarterly Global FAST Report combines findings from analyst reports with real-time data from the Amagi ANALYTICS platform and Amagi's consumer survey, representing over 500 U.S. households across diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. The report also examines viewer data across 50-plus FAST platforms and approximately 3,800 channel deliveries that use Amagi THUNDERSTORM, the company's proprietary server-side ad insertion (SSAI) platform.
Key highlights from the report include:
- While 46% of survey respondents primarily use SVOD services, 44% use FAST or AVOD, with two-thirds of viewers saying they'll willingly watch ads if it means receiving free, high-quality content. This finding demonstrates the potential for continued migration to AVOD and FAST services.
- APAC is the only region that showed a three-digit growth in both analyses (Q3 2022 vs. Q3 2023 and Q4 2022 vs. Q4 2023) across HOV (145% in Q3 and 130% in Q4) and ad impressions (281% in Q3 and 352% in Q4).
- News took a substantial lead over other genres globally. News contributed a substantial 41% to total HOV worldwide in Q3 2023, followed by 37% in Q4 2023, maintaining its status as the most watched genre. Movies trailed behind at an 11% share in Q3 2023 and a 9% share in Q4 2023, with nature and wildlife as the third runner-up at 8% and 6% during the same quarters.
- EMEA and LATAM Have Their Own Preferences: While news may dominate other genres on a global scale, both EMEA and LATAM show a stronger preference for movies. In EMEA, this genre remained the crowd favorite at a consistent 18% HOV contribution across Q3 2023 and Q4 2023, while news came second at 13% and then at 11%. In LATAM, news never reached the top three, with movies at a massive lead (50% in Q3 2023, 52% in Q4 2023), lifestyle in second place (14%, 16%), and sports in third (8%, 7%).
"As this latest edition of the Global FAST report shows, stakeholders need to start aligning their strategies with the pace at which ad dollars are now moving in the FAST lane," said Srinivasan KA, co-Founder and chief revenue officer of Amagi. "The surge in ad dollars toward CTV is not just a trend; it's a seismic shift reshaping the digital advertising landscape. Advertisers, content providers, and FAST services must recognize the incredible opportunities within this dynamic environment."
Amagi provides a complete suite of solutions for channel creation, distribution, and monetization. Amagi's global clients include ABS-CBN, AccuWeather, A+E Networks UK, beIN Sports, Cineverse, Cox Media Group, Crackle Plus, Fremantle, Gannett, Gusto TV, NBCUniversal, PAC-12, Tastemade, and The Roku Channel among others.
The latest edition of the Amagi Quarterly Global FAST Report is available here. For more information about Amagi and its streaming TV solutions, visit www.amagi.com.
