Providing Market Intelligence for 40 Years

In The News

Competitive Info: FAST Channels Gain As Traditional TV Declines, Parks Finds.

Traditional television continues to lose viewers to free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) services, according to new research from Parks Associates.

The research firm’s quarterly surveys of 8,000 U.S. internet households found that 46% of U.S. internet households regularly use FAST platforms to watch long-form video content.

“FAST services are no longer a secondary viewing option — they are a central part of the streaming landscape,” said Michael Goodman, director of entertainment research at Parks Associates. “The gap between leaders like Tubi and the rest of the market underscores the importance of content breadth, distribution partnerships, and user experience in driving viewer engagement.”

A new study released Wednesday by Parks Associates identified Tubi, The Roku Channel and Pluto TV as the top three FAST services in the U.S. Research compiled through the company’s Streaming Video Tracker found that Tubi “significantly outpaced competitors and reinforced its dominant position in the rapidly expanding FAST ecosystem.”

Parks Associates noted that Tubi has achieved that position even though 95% of its programming is available on demand through its ad-supported video-on-demand model.

The report said the growth of FAST services reflects a broader industry shift as consumers increasingly seek free, ad-supported alternatives amid rising subscription costs and streaming fatigue.

Other FAST platforms showing audience growth include Samsung TV Plus and XUMO Play, according to Parks’ latest rankings.

Parks Associates said advertisers are increasingly following audiences into FAST environments, positioning the sector for continued expansion through 2026 and beyond.

From the Inside Radio article, "Competitive Info: FAST Channels Gain As Traditional TV Declines, Parks Finds."

Previously In The News

Why is privacy-minded Apple putting its new TV app on smart TVs notorious for spying on users?

That's not just conjecture. A report by Parks Associates stated that almost half of smart TV owners also used a streaming media player, and that they used their media player much more frequently than...

Apple TV+ interface is more important to streaming video users than content

Research firm Parks Associates claims that the content of a streaming video service is less important than the user interface design and how easy it is to find something to watch. The report comes ahe...

Jeffrey Katzenberg’s Quibi Is Ready to Launch, but Will Viewers Bite?

There’s no doubt people will check out Quibi, particularly with stay-at-home directives set to run through the end of April. “America right now is a captive audience starved for something to do,” says...

HBO Max: WarnerMedia in Talks With Roku on Deal, Amazon Fire TV Appears to Be a No-Go

Beyond rev-share terms for HBO Max, holdouts like Roku and Amazon — which together had 69% market share of U.S. OTT households in early 2019, Parks Associates estimated — are objecting to WarnerMedia’...