FAST channels record 14% growth in 2025, led by news and horror genres: Gracenote

New Delhi: Gracenote, the content data unit of Nielsen, has expanded its Data Hub resource to provide insights into nearly 1,850 active free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels, offering a broad view of global streaming trends.

According to the latest analysis from Gracenote’s global video dataset, the number of FAST channels grew by nearly 14% between the first and third quarters of 2025, marking a 76% increase since 2023. These findings were included in the most recent update of the Gracenote Data Hub for Q3 2025.

First launched in November 2024, the Data Hub was initially developed to provide visibility into the catalogues of subscription video on demand (SVOD) platforms such as Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, Netflix and Paramount+. The latest update now includes FAST content, enabling comparisons across more than 645,000 TV, movie and sports titles on SVOD services and more than 197,000 programmes on FAST channels.

The analysis found that FAST channels host a greater proportion of recent programming compared with SVOD services. Nearly half of FAST content was produced in the last five years, while only one third of content on premium SVOD platforms falls within this timeframe. Considering content produced in the last 15 years, FAST accounted for 80% and SVOD for 68.5%.

Television dominates FAST programming, with 93.1% of available content made up of TV episodes. In comparison, TV content accounts for 88.8% of catalogues across leading SVOD platforms.

The report also highlighted differences in content growth trends. Sports content on SVOD rose by 13.2% over the past three months, compared with 10% growth in films and 9.2% in TV titles. On FAST services, sports programming declined by 3.7% in the same period but was up 14% year-to-date.

In terms of genre composition, documentary was the largest category on FAST channels at 16.1%, followed by drama at 10.6% and news at 9.9%. News registered the highest growth, with a 37% increase in programming, followed by horror with a 30% rise.

SVOD platforms also expanded their catalogues by 9.8% in the last quarter. Amazon recorded the highest growth with a 12.6% increase in titles, while Paramount+ grew by 6.4%.

Bringing on Gracenote’s Global Video Data, which tracks content in over 70 languages across more than 80 countries, the Data Hub provides insights into content distribution, licensing, and media strategies, as well as serving as a reference for analysts monitoring the evolution of streaming.