• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, March 27, 2025

Legacy TV-network based companies keep stepping on the gas when it comes to FAST networks.

Big viewing and ad revenue gains for Fox Corp.'s Tubi, Paramount Global’s Pluto TV, and Roku’s Roku Channel aren’t slowing down -- and they continue to bring in new deals.

NBC announced it will be launching 40 channels on its LG smart TV operating system (OS) -- everything from news-centric shows to specific series-focused channels such as “Little House on the Prairie,” “Murder, She Wrote” and “Saved By the Bell.”

As with much of this activity that has occurred before, legacy TV network-based media companies with deep libraries realized that building these new style advertising-dominated FAST networks might be just the thing to achieve added reach and scale down the road for advertisers.

All this seems a hedge to grabbing extra advertising dollars -- hopefully down the road to offset more advertising declines to linear TV networks.

Disney-ABC has been making more wide-ranging FAST moves -- adding four FAST-like channels on Disney+. That means you need to have a Disney+ subscription. But Disney has also distributed FAST networks on LG Channels, including one with the Nat Geo brand banner.

Earlier this year, Disney-ABC launched four new ABC FAST channels -- ABC 20/20, AB Local Ish, ABC News Live and ESPN 8 “The Ocho,” which brings a broader range of news, entertainment, and sports content -- on MyFree DirecTV users.

Deepening itself in the FAST world, DirecTV recently launched MyFree DirecTV, which has more than 95+ FREE live channels and On Demand shows and movies. That consumers can get by using the DirecTV app.

We don’t know the financial details of these deals. But one can assume that carriage in large part has to do with some advertising-share arrangement.

Right now, early growth seems to be around young viewers -- and not just because of its free and easy access. Much of their consumption is still focused on digital social media, YouTube and other platforms.

One major question is whether these channels can grab a bigger share of TV viewing -- not just one or near two share points that individual FAST platforms like Tubi, Pluto, or Roku are currently getting.

They can even take share from those legacy companies' bigger streaming financial gambles -- those ad-free or limited-advertising premium platforms, like Disney+, Max, Peacock, or Paramount+.

As they say, "stay tuned" -- on the streaming platforms of your choice.