Free TV > Premium TV?

Free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) platforms are growing furiously – and like Vin Diesel, starting to flex their muscles.

For the second month in a row, Tubi, the Roku Channel, and Pluto TV collectively accounted for a bigger share of television (4.3%) than the combined total of Max, Paramount+, and Peacock (3.7%), according to Nielsen‘s latest edition of The Gauge, a monthly streaming report.

Consumers are increasingly choosing the FAST lane. Given current trends, Goldman Sachs projects the value of the combined FAST universe – which also includes Amazon’s Freevee, Rakuten TV, and the Comcast-owned Xumo – to grow by 15% each year until 2027.

The biggest reason why is simple, per analysts – they’re free. And in today’s world, subscription fatigue is real; a Deloitte survey published earlier this year showed almost half of consumers think they’re paying too much for streaming.

• Viewing experience also matters. FAST platforms, which don’t rely on original content to draw viewership, tend to focus heavily on tech and building a good experience for consumers, Deadline reports.

📺 Big picture: The streaming market – a nascent industry a decade ago – is reaching maturity. When it comes to share of TV viewership, giants like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Max, Peacock, Paramount+, and Disney+ have mostly stayed flat or seen a drop over the past 12 months, while YouTube, FAST services, and “other” streaming services like STARZ and AMC+ have been making inroads (from ~17% of viewership to ~20% collectively).