At a time when some streaming television platforms are touting the vast number of linear content streams available on their services, a new trends report from Xperi’s TiVo resolves the question on the minds of some analysts: Is anyone actually watching them?
The answer is, yes, though likely far fewer than people might think — or those platforms might be comfortable sharing.
Around 65 percent of streamers said they used free, ad-supported streaming TV services during the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2024, a slight dip from the 68 percent who said the same during the same time period the previous year, but still a sizable chunk of the overall streaming audience who has comfortably incorporated more free streaming options into their video consumption diets over time.
Nearly three out of four streamers who affirmed their use of an ad-supported video on-demand (AVOD) platform in Q4 2024 said they also watched free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels available on those services, though the number of channels they’re actually watching is far less than the hundreds of options available to them.
The average FAST consumer watched an average of 5.1 linear content channels during Q4 2024, down from 5.3 channels in 2023, TiVo said. The most-popular FAST channels watched were near-evenly split across news, sports, genre-based and “binge” content channels, with genre channels like those offering a variety of shows across categories like comedy and drama taking a slight lead at 32 percent.
News channels — which offer fresh content on a regular basis, owed to their coverage of current events — accounted for 21 percent of time spent with FAST channels during Q4, TiVo said, while binge channels — content streams that are dedicated to just a single program — accounted for nearly 28 percent of time spent with FAST.
Among the top AVOD and FAST services are those that have made their name in the space for years, including Paramount Global’s Pluto TV and Fox Corporation’s Tubi, along with platforms that are built into streaming devices and smart TVs like The Roku Channel and Samsung TV Plus. Amazon’s Freevee, Plex, Crackle and Vudu were also mentioned in the TiVo report, as were relatively niche services like CBC Gem and Crunchyroll.
NBC News Now was the only FAST channel that was independently named as one of the “top” AVOD and FAST services in the report, suggesting the streaming news network backed by Comcast’s NBC Universal was the most-watched during Q4 among its competitors. Disney’s ABC News, Paramount’s CBS News and Fox Television Stations all have FAST channels of their own.
YouTube, which regularly top Nielsen’s monthly reports on time spent with streaming TV services in the U.S., was not mentioned in the AVOD/FAST section of the TiVo report.
The relatively low number of FAST channels that streamers report using on a regular basis suggests that a curated approach based on quality is more meaningful to consumers than onboarding hundreds of channels that few are likely to watch.
For years, Plex, TiVo and Tubi have taken a measured approach when it comes to integrating FAST channels from content providers and distributors into their platforms — they don’t have the largest catalog of free linear streaming channels, but they have many of the ones people want to watch.
By comparison, platforms like Samsung TV Plus — which recently touted the largest catalog of FAST channels — might be exacerbating a problem in the streaming space: Offering a staggering amount of content options that overwhelms consumers and makes it difficult for streamers to find things to watch.
Still, executives at TiVo say FAST channels can be a powerful tool for AVOD platforms. On a conference call with analysts and reporters this week, TiVo’s Vice President of Global Data Monetization Fariba Zamaniyan said AVOD platforms can lean into consumption data from the FAST channels popular on their platforms to learn more about the kind of content they should serve up through their on-demand catalogs.
“The consumers that find that go-to channel, and then leave it on their screen all day long, as background, opens up opportunities about how we should be thinking about AVOD in terms of tailoring the various AST channels within various AVODs that appeal to certain consumers,” Zamaniyan noted.
That, in turn, can shape how those platforms sell inventory against certain content and channels to marketers as they beef up their advertising businesses.
“It has real implications on how we can maximize the engagement that an AVOD can have with specific audiences for advertising delivery,” Zamaniyan said.
The full video trends report from TiVo is available to view by clicking or tapping here.
