• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, August 12, 2024

It may not be surprising to see more growth in all types of FAST TV networks -- especially as many are witnessing major advertising and viewership gains made from Roku as well as Tubi and Pluto (owned by Fox Corp. and Paramount Global, respectively). 

Roku is expanding its efforts starting up a FAST network, with Roku Sports Channel focused on all things sports.

While the majority of the content on this new channel is highlights, analysis, library and other fringe sports programming, it also has some original programming. 

The channel will include NBA G-League games and live (presumably non-exclusive) Major League Baseball games on Sunday night.

FAST TV networks (free advertising-supported streaming TV) typically don’t have much “premium” live TV programming -- especially among the big four sports leagues.

Supply-and-demand issues may be at work here: Baseball teams play 162 games a season -- almost double the number of games per major professional sports teams (NHL and NBA teams each with 82 games).

In addition to live sports, live news is making more gains in the FAST space.

In July, Spectrum News+ said it would launch the FAST channel on Xumo Play. CNN recently said it is starting up its own documentary-focused FAST platform -- CNN Originals.

We are seeing a niche-driven focus to pull in viewers -- sports, news, or other content -- moving behind the broad-base FAST channel content that Tubi, Pluto, and Roku Channel provide.

This flashes back to the cable TV origins -- ad-supported channels -- decades ago when cable brands like MTV spun out new networks such as MTV2,  MTV News, MTV Hits, MTV Classics and MTVU, among others.

Discovery Channel did some of the same back for the "Discovery" brand in the mid-90s with Discovery Kids, Discovery Travel & Living, Discovery Family Discovery Civilization, Discovery Health Channel.

Years later, Discovery shifted this emphasis, at least in the U.S. -- giving platforms their own brand-worth with Animal Planet, Science Channel, TLC, but still keeping some around like Investigation Discovery.

The FAST world, however, is slightly different. For example, The Roku Channel features more than 400 live, linear TV “channels” that sometimes focus on a super-niche programming of individual TV series.   

So what about channels within channels? Is this too much? Maybe two decades from now, this plethora of content will get its own hardcore, critical financial analysis -- what legacy cable TV networks are getting right now.

For now, enjoy the show -- lots of them.