FAST channel

A FAST channel is a free ad-supported streaming television channel: a scheduled, linear stream of programmes delivered over the internet and paid for by ads rather than subscriptions.

FAST mixes old and new television. As with broadcast, the viewer joins a channel already in progress, and ad breaks come at set points. As with streaming, the channel runs on smart TVs, streaming devices and apps, and each ad break can be sold programmatically and targeted by household.

FAST channels appear inside TV makers' own services, inside streaming apps, and on platforms run by media companies. Their ads are usually stitched into the stream on a server and sold in pods. In OpenRTB 2.6 bid requests, a content.livestream value of 1 marks scheduled, linear content. A Channel object names the channel, and a Network object names the company that owns it (IAB Tech Lab, OpenRTB 2.6, sections 3.2.16, 3.2.23 and 3.2.24).

Quality varies by channel, so buyers check the channel name, the app and the supply path, and use app-ads.txt and sellers.json to confirm who is selling. The planned guide to FAST channels advertising covers inventory, ad loads and revenue models.

Example: Samsung Ads sells ads on Samsung's free, ad-supported streaming service, which runs on Samsung smart TVs and Galaxy devices. Samsung Ads says it reaches three in four US TV households, a company claim (Samsung Ads, accessed 9 November 2026).

Related terms: pod bidding, SSAI, ACR data, VAST, household graph.

Authoritative source: IAB Tech Lab, OpenRTB 2.6, section 3.2.24 "Object: Channel" (accessed 9 November 2026).