Live sports surge on FAST platforms with 65% growth in streaming hours

New Delhi: Amagi announced the release of its 13th Amagi Global FAST Report, which reveals significant growth in sports content in the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) ecosystem.

The report highlights a 150% increase in global sports channel viewership on FAST compared to an overall viewership growth of 40%, showcasing the increasing demand for sports programming among streaming audiences.

“The integration of sports content into FAST platforms represents a significant shift in the streaming landscape, opening up new opportunities for both established leagues and niche sports to find and grow their audiences,” said Srinivasan KA, Co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Amagi. “Our latest report underscores the rising prominence of sports content in the FAST ecosystem. With sports channel viewership outpacing overall growth, it’s clear that FAST is becoming an increasingly important platform for sports leagues and broadcasters as a source of distribution revenue.”

The newly released Amagi Global FAST Report offers critical data and insights derived from 2,800-plus channels using Amagi THUNDERSTORM, the company’s cutting-edge server-side ad insertion platform, as well as business preferences and future predictions based on a comprehensive survey of 128 streaming, broadcast, and sports executives. It also highlights insights from both large and niche sports and media companies, showcasing how these organizations use FAST to expand their reach and engage with viewers in new ways.

Key takeaways from the 13th Amagi Global FAST Report include:

1. Sports content soars: Live sports content on FAST is rapidly growing, with a 65% increase in live sports hours.
2. U.S. and Canada outpace other regions: The U.S. and Canada saw triple-digit growth in sports channel viewership and impressions, contributing to 60% of global viewership.
3. EMEA sees significant growth: Sports channel viewership grew by about 4.5x in EMEA, with 60% of this growth driven by the addition of new channels.
4. Executives prioritise live sports in FAST content strategies: About a third of surveyed executives have live sports as part of their content plan either now or in the future, with another third saying they want to add live sports. 67% are seeing an increase in advertising interest in live sports. 
5. New channels drive FAST: New channels launched within the last year drove nearly a third of viewership growth for FAST, which continues to attract new content providers and channels.