FAST Channel Statistics 2026: Market Size, Viewership, and Growth

This page collects the most-cited statistics on FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) in one place. Every number is attributed to its original source with the measurement period. We update it as new data publishes.

Journalists, analysts, and researchers: you are welcome to cite any figure here. Link to this page or to the original source listed next to each stat.

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Key FAST statistics

The ten numbers that define the industry right now:

1. Streaming reached a record 47.5% of all US TV viewing in December 2025 (Nielsen, The Gauge).
2. In May 2025, streaming (44.8%) surpassed broadcast and cable combined (44.2%) for the first time (Nielsen).
3. Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, and Tubi together captured 5.7% of all US TV viewing in May 2025. That is more than any single broadcast network (Nielsen).
4. There were roughly 1,850 active FAST channels globally as of Gracenote's Q3 2025 Data Hub, up 76% since 2023.
5. Tubi passed 100 million monthly active users and 1 billion hours viewed in a single month (Tubi/Fox, May 2025 data, announced June 2025).
6. Samsung TV Plus entered 2026 with more than 100 million monthly active users, with streaming hours up 25% year over year (Samsung, January 2026).
7. eMarketer counts 131.4 million US FAST users in 2026, or 54% of all connected-TV users.
8. Omdia projects global FAST revenue climbing from roughly $6 billion in 2025 toward $11 billion by 2030. Other analysts who define the category more broadly put the market two to three times higher.
9. YouTube alone took 12.5% of all US TV viewing in May 2025 on Nielsen's The Gauge, then 13.5% in March 2026 on Nielsen's Media Distributor Gauge.
10. Global FAST ad impressions grew 27% year over year in Q4 2025, on a 21% rise in hours viewed (Amagi).

Details, context, and source links for each figure are below.

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How big is the FAST market?

Analyst forecasts for FAST revenue vary widely because firms define the category differently. Some count only pure FAST services. Others fold in ad-supported tiers of subscription services. The honest way to read the market is as a range:

Three things are true across every forecast:

• The market grows at a double-digit rate through the decade. Estimated CAGRs run from roughly 13% (Omdia's implied rate) to about 21% (The Business Research Company).
• The US remains the largest FAST market, but Europe is catching up. Omdia found that 35% of online adults in Spain watch FAST monthly, ahead of the UK (26%), Germany (25%), and France (17%).
• FAST growth sits inside a larger shift of TV money to streaming. US connected-TV ad spend reached $33.35 billion in 2025 and is widely forecast near $38 billion in 2026, about 14% growth (eMarketer, as reported in industry roundups).

Sources: Omdia press release, December 2025 · Mordor Intelligence FAST market report · GlobeNewswire / Research and Markets, July 2026 · eMarketer on CTV display ad spending

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How many people watch FAST?

Streaming's share of TV time

Nielsen's The Gauge measures what share of total US TV time goes to each distribution type. The streaming milestones came fast:

• May 2025: streaming hit 44.8% of TV viewing and passed broadcast (20.1%) plus cable (24.1%) combined for the first time.
• December 2025: streaming set an all-time record at 47.5% of TV viewing. In that month The Roku Channel alone reached 3.0% of all US TV viewing.
• January 2026: streaming held at 47.0%. The Roku Channel remained at 3.0%; Tubi registered 2.1%.

Source: Nielsen, May 2025 · Nielsen, December 2025 · Nielsen, January 2026

FAST services in The Gauge and Media Distributor Gauge

• Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, and Tubi combined: 5.7% of all US TV viewing (May 2025, The Gauge). For scale, that beats any individual broadcast network.
• Tubi also reported an all-time high of 2.2% of total TV viewing minutes in May 2025.
• In March 2026, Nielsen's Media Distributor Gauge (as reported by TheWrap) put The Roku Channel at 3% and Tubi at 2.2% of TV viewing, with YouTube at 13.5%.

Source: Nielsen, May 2025 · Tubi corporate, June 2025 · TheWrap on Nielsen Media Distributor Gauge, March 2026

Audience scale by service

The US FAST audience

• eMarketer counts 131.4 million US FAST users in 2026, up 5.8% from 2025. That is 54% of all US connected-TV users (about 38.7% of the US population).
• Industry estimates put CTV device presence near 90% of US households in 2025. Treat that as a penetration figure, not a monthly-use claim.
• A Samsung Ads report (June 2026) found 85% of US households watch ad-supported streaming content, and that FAST viewership grew 34% between 2022 and 2026, against 10% for subscription streaming.

Source: eMarketer FAST FAQ, 2026 · Samsung Ads free-streaming report, as reported by The Desk

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How many FAST channels are there?

Gracenote (Nielsen's content-data unit) maintains the most-cited census of FAST channels:

• Nearly 1,850 active FAST channels globally in Gracenote's Q3 2025 Data Hub (announced August 2025).
• Channel count grew nearly 14% from Q1 2025 and is up 76% since 2023.
• Those channels carried more than 197,000 unique programs (shows, movies, and sports).
• In Gracenote's earlier March 2025 FAST report (when the census stood above 1,610 channels), nearly three-fourths of available FAST channels were in the US.

Genre composition from the Q3 2025 Data Hub: documentary was the largest programming concentration at 16.1%, followed by drama (10.6%) and news (9.9%). News led genre growth (+37% programming), with horror next (+30%).

For platform lineups: Pluto TV markets "250+ channels", and Roku's own guide lists 350+ free live channels on The Roku Channel.

Source: Gracenote newsroom, August 2025 · Gracenote, March 2025 · Roku live TV channel guide

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FAST advertising statistics

• Ad impressions on FAST channels grew 27% year over year globally in Q4 2025, on a 21% rise in hours of viewing. In the US and Canada the split was +22% impressions on +17% viewing. The data covers roughly 4,200 FAST channel deliveries measured on Amagi's ad-insertion platform.
• US connected-TV ad spend reached $33.35 billion in 2025 and is forecast near $38 billion in 2026 (eMarketer).
• Industry CPM benchmarks for FAST and broad ad-supported inventory cluster around $15 to $25 for programmatic buys, with premium direct-sold inventory higher. Treat these as vendor benchmarks, not audited measurement: no measurement firm publishes official FAST CPMs.
• Self-serve connected-TV campaigns start as low as $7 CPM on Paramount's ads manager, a useful floor for the market.

Source: Amagi, March 2026 · eMarketer on CTV ad spending · Paramount Ads Manager

For how these numbers translate into channel-level revenue, see our guide to FAST channel monetization or run your own numbers in the FAST revenue calculator.

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Cord-cutting and the shift to free TV

FAST's growth is the direct consequence of pay-TV's decline:

• Pew Research found only 36% of US adults still subscribe to cable or satellite TV (survey April 14–20, 2025; published July 2025). Among adults 18 to 29, it is 16%. Separately, 83% of US adults use streaming services.
• Major US pay-TV providers lost about 5 million subscribers in 2023, a record year, per Leichtman Research Group.
• Comcast alone lost about 1.15 million video subscribers in 2025 (company results, as reported by Cord Cutters News).
• Two-thirds of US viewers say they would rather save money than avoid ads (Hub Entertainment Research, December 2025 wave).
• About 55% of TV viewers have used at least one FAST service, and 46% of regular FAST users call those services a "must-have" (Hub Entertainment Research, as reported by TV Tech).

Source: Pew Research Center, July 2025 · Leichtman Research Group, March 2024 · Cord Cutters News on Comcast 2025 losses · Hub Entertainment Research, as reported by Streaming Media and TV Tech

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Creators are moving to the TV screen

The line between the creator economy and television is dissolving, and FAST is where they meet:

• YouTube captured 12.5% of all US TV viewing in May 2025 on The Gauge, the largest share Nielsen had recorded for a single streamer at that point. By March 2026, Nielsen's Media Distributor Gauge put YouTube at 13.5%, ahead of every traditional media company.
• TVs are now YouTube's primary device in the US, ahead of mobile and desktop. YouTube has said viewers stream over 1 billion hours daily from TV screens globally (living-room / TV viewing; 2024–2025 company disclosures).
• IAB projects US creator-economy ad spend of $37 billion in 2025, with spend expected near $44 billion in 2026.
• Distribution platforms are responding: Roku is building a dedicated creator hub on The Roku Channel, and Tubi hired TikTok's former global head of creator marketing to run creator partnerships.

Source: Nielsen, May 2025 · TheWrap on March 2026 Media Distributor Gauge · TheWrap on YouTube TV viewing hours · IAB Creator Economy Ad Spend report · IAB news release, $37B in 2025 · StreamTV Insider on Roku creator hub

If you are a creator weighing a channel of your own, start with converting a YouTube library to a linear channel or the full guide to how to start a FAST channel.

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Methodology and sourcing notes

• Every statistic on this page is attributed to a named organization with its measurement period. Where a figure reached us through trade press rather than the primary source, the citation says so.
• Forecast figures from different analyst firms are not comparable with each other. Category definitions differ. We present them as a range instead of picking one.
• CPM, fill-rate, and ad-load figures are vendor benchmarks. No independent measurement body audits them. We label them accordingly.
• Dated figures keep their vintage. We do not present a 2023 MAU as if it were current when a fresher public forecast exists.
• Nielsen's The Gauge (share of total TV time by source) and Media Distributor Gauge (share by media company) are related but not identical products. We name which one we cite.
• This page was last reviewed on July 17, 2026, against the primary sources linked above.

Cite this page

Vidiyo, "FAST Channel Statistics 2026: Market Size, Viewership, and Growth", vidiyo.com/learn/fast-industry-statistics.

Questions about the data, or a stat we should add? Email press@vidiyo.com.