Satellite operator Intelsat says that FAST channels (Free Ad-supported Television) are booming worldwide and are disrupting traditional video consumption. According to Kantar, FAST is the quickest-growing streaming option in the US with 47 per cent of households now utilising FAST every week.

Satellite will play a key role in supplementing FAST channel distribution making FAST content available to those who are unconnected or without a reliable broadband connection.

“WeDo TV, a prominent global FAST channel provider, is bringing its channel, WeDo Big Stories, to the US utilising satellite capacity on Intelsat’s Galaxy 19 (G-19). This is the first satellite to bring a WeDo channel to the US, bringing FAST together with traditional linear distribution. G-19 is an excellent fit for distributing FAST channels as it provides a direct-to-home (DTH) free-to-air (FTA) platform,” suggests Intelsat.

“WeDo Big Stories will also be incorporating an analytics layer to their channel which will give content providers data and value similar to distributing over IP. Amtecco, a leading innovator in media delivery and transcoding, will be adding a technology layer to monitor viewer analytics, something that traditionally could only be done through pay-TV services and connected devices. This will provide real-time insights into audience demographics, viewing patterns, and content preferences, information historically unavailable in an open free-to-air environment,” says Intelsat.