• by Wayne Friedman , March 12, 2025

FAST networks -- free ad-supported/streaming television -- have grown 42% in the last two years globally, now totaling 1,610, according to a Nielsen Gracenote report.

The U.S. represents 74% of countries surveyed -- with 1,189 channels. Adding in channels from the U.K. (153), Germany (109) and Canada (85) brings the total to 1,610.

The report says that overall, these networks amass 178,000 unique programs, episodes and movies.

Although there is criticism of FAST networks as largely offering reruns of old TV shows, the report says 70% of the content is less than 15 years old -- produced since 2010.

The top five programming categories are entertainment, sports, unscripted TV shows, news/commentary, and drama.

Entertainment remains the biggest FAST genre for a channel -- now 303 channels. Gracenote defines the entertainment genre as TV programs presented in a non-story-based format and usually filmed live in a studio.

Sports channels are next -- double the number since July 2024 -- to 220, followed by unscripted/reality TV programming channels, which have dramatically grown over the last year to 138 channels (up from 19). News/commentary contributes 101 channels, while drama contributes 87.

In the U.S., the fastest-growing FAST network is Tubi, with 14.5% usage of adults 18+ watching during the most recent 30-day period in the third quarter of 2024 -- up from 8.8% in 2022.

The Roku Channel is now at around 13.9% usage -- up from around 11.7 % in 2022 -- while Pluto TV is at around 10.2%, up from 8.1% in 2022.