With the war of the major pay platforms, 2023 could mark the advent of FAST TV, free streaming television supported by advertising. An economic model that should appeal to many users.
FAST-TV. You will have to get used to this new term which is likely to become popular in 2023. And for good reason: it is associated with a free service! In fact, FAST TV is an acronym for Free ad-supported streaming television : in good French, “free streaming television supported by advertising”. Clearly, free TV with advertising… a bit like what private TV channels have been offering for ages on DTT, except that everything happens in streaming, via the Internet, and not via radio waves picked up by antennas. microwaves that have been in use for decades.
FAST TV: the alternative to paid platforms
And if we are very likely to talk about it this year, it is because this audiovisual distribution model is becoming more and more successful at a time when the giants of paid video streaming, such as Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video , Paramount+ and others are waging a merciless war to gain market share while increasing their prices (see our guide to streaming services). An overabundance of supply and price increases that begin to tire viewers, especially in times of economic crisis and generalized inflation. Without even mentioning the famous “available brain time”, which today has the means to afford three or four subscriptions at 10, 15 or 20 euros per month to watch films, series, documentaries or programs at will ? Because it is often necessary to multiply the sources to take advantage of the exclusive content reserved for the SVOD platforms – video on demand on subscription, the official name of services such as Netflix or Canal+.
And that’s without counting on the replay services – catch-up TV – offered by “classic” television channels, whether through the packages available on Internet boxes or via apps or websites that can be used on TV connected as on computer or mobile. Generally free services – on France.tv or Arte.vv, for example – or with paid premium formulas – such as MyTF1 Max or 6play max in particular, which offer additional content, absent from MyTF1 and 6play.
FAST TV: free streaming TV with ads
Faced with the proliferation of paid offers which have many reasons to discourage the average viewer, a new type of service is thus beginning to gain popularity: FAST TV. A free service, because entirely funded by advertising. This is not the only point in common with old-fashioned TV: because FAST TV also revives the notion of “linear” broadcasting. Clearly, we do not choose what we watch as we do on a “classic” streaming platform, on demand. The programs are broadcast on channels – most often thematic – continuously, with “imposed” schedules. In other words, we choose a channel and we watch what is broadcast, as before. With ad breaks. Nothing to do with the Netflix Essential formula which offers content with advertising, but on demand, and always on paid subscription.
FAST TV is not a simple project: it already exists, including in France. It is indeed on this model that platforms such as Rakuten TV or Pluto TV are based – which is only beginning to make itself known with advertising campaigns. Services already accessible on most connected televisions and which each offer multiple thematic channels, free of charge, and without any registration. you just have to select the corresponding channels or launch the dedicated apps to access a multitude of content broadcast “live”. And the least we can say is that the quantity is there. Often to the detriment of quality… Pluto and Rakuten indeed have really extensive catalogs, with countless content spread over different channels grouped by major categories (Comedy, French Series, International Series, Movies, Lifestyle, Entertainment, Sport, etc. ), not always well balanced. Content already broadcast elsewhere, and not always first choice, even if we unearth some popular nuggets (South Park, MacGyver or Chérif, for example). But you have to reckon with a rather painful latency and an image quality far from 4K, due to a high compression rate.
FAST TV: 800 channels on Google TV
However, if it is not yet widespread in France, the FAST TV model is set to develop rapidly; as explained Le Figaro. The major audiovisual groups are already preparing to enrich their streaming services with FAST TV channels. France Télévisions concluded a few months ago an agreement with SoFast, a company specializing in content aggregation, while the National Audiovisual Institute – INA – is also working on programs for FAST TV. For the past few weeks, Freebox subscribers have been able to access the M6 group’s new FAST channels (Konbini, Vice, Nouvelle Star, Zone prohibited, Enquêtes Criminelles, Téléfilms and Telenovelas). And TF1 has already added many FAST TV channels to its MyTF1 service, with its offer MyTF1 Stream.
And this trend is not limited to France: on April 11, 2023, Google has just added no less than 800 free FAST TV channels on its Google TV platform, accessible on its Chromecast systems but also on connected televisions, with quality content from players such as ABC, CBS or FOX, and available in several languages! Admittedly, for now, these programs are only available in the United States. But we imagine that the digital giant does not intend to stop there and, like Amazon, which has also embarked on this path, it will soon offer this service more widely in the world. In short, everything suggests that 2023 will be the year of the advent of FAST TV: a form of revenge for old-fashioned TV, brought up to date with streaming! All that remained was to find time to watch these mountains of programs…