Strategy

Content Licensing for FAST Channels

How FAST channel operators license content from third parties — what rights to ask for, typical deal structures, where to find licensable content, and common rights traps to avoid.

May 22, 202610 min read

Content licensing is how FAST channels build catalog depth beyond what they produce themselves. Many successful FAST channels are essentially curated collections of licensed content — a documentary channel, a classic film channel, or a niche sports highlights channel built entirely from licensed third-party material.

Getting rights deals right at the start prevents costly mistakes later. This guide covers the mechanics.

What rights you're asking for

When you license content for FAST distribution, you need to be explicit about what rights you're acquiring. The minimum you need:

Linear streaming rights or FAST rights: The right to play the content in a scheduled, linear format where viewers tune in to a channel (as opposed to selecting on-demand).

Advertising rights: The right to monetize the content with ads (SSAI-inserted ads in your stream). Some content licenses prohibit commercial use or ad-supported distribution — make sure yours explicitly permits it.

Territory: Which countries the license covers. US-only rights are common. Check whether your rights cover all the countries where your channel will be accessible.

Duration: How long the license runs. One-year, multi-year, or perpetual.

Exclusivity (or lack thereof): Exclusive means you're the only one who can show this content in this format/territory. Non-exclusive (most common) means others can have the same license.

Attribution requirements: Some licenses require on-screen credits or mention in EPG data.

Standard FAST license deal structures

There is no standard deal structure in FAST — the market is still maturing. But common approaches:

You share a percentage of the ad revenue your channel earns with the content licensor. Typically 30-70% to you, 30-70% to the licensor, depending on who has the leverage.

Best for: Licensors who believe in the channel's growth potential, new channels that don't have upfront budget, creators with established audiences.

Drawback: Admin-heavy — you need to accurately report and pay revenue shares. Disagreements about measurement can be contentious.

Flat fee license

A set dollar amount per year (or per content piece) for the right to use the content. You keep all ad revenue.

Best for: Operators with some budget, established channels that can predict revenue.

Common range for indie content: $100-$5,000/year per show or film, depending on the content's existing audience.

High-end licensed content (recognizable titles, major festivals): $10,000-$100,000+/year.

Output deal

You acquire rights to all content from a specific creator or studio for a period, rather than picking individual titles.

Best for: Channels built around a specific creator or content type. Example: acquiring all episodes of an independent documentary series, or all content from a specific creator's back catalog.

Barter deal

No money changes hands. You distribute their content on your channel; they promote your channel to their audience.

Best for: Early-stage channels building initial content library, and content owners who primarily want distribution exposure rather than revenue.

Where to find licensable content

Independent filmmakers and documentary producers

Independent filmmakers frequently have content sitting unused after its festival run. They've already spent years making it — additional distribution revenue through FAST is often attractive with low barriers.

Where to find them: Film festivals (Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca alumni), filmmaking communities (Stage 32, No Film School), filmmaker-specific LinkedIn groups.

Pitch: "I run a [category] FAST channel on Roku and Fire TV. I'd like to license your film for one year, revenue share at [X%]. No upfront cost to you, and we'll credit you in the EPG and on-screen."

YouTube creators with existing video libraries

Many YouTube creators have catalogs that would translate well to FAST — cooking shows, travel documentaries, educational series, sports analysis. They're creating for on-demand; adding linear FAST distribution is incremental.

Approach: Contact creators directly via their business inquiry email (usually in their YouTube "About" tab). Be specific: "I'd like to license [specific content] for FAST distribution, structured as revenue share."

Rights note: You need rights to the content including any music used. YouTube creators often don't have proper broadcast music licenses. This is negotiable — you can ask them to re-cut episodes with royalty-free music or you can exclude episodes with licensed music.

Archive and stock content libraries

Several companies specialize in licensing archival footage and documentary content for FAST channels:

Pond5 and Getty Images: stock footage and some documentary content
BBC Motion Gallery: British broadcasting archive content
AP Archive: News and current events archive
WPA Film Library: Historical footage

These are licensed per-use or via annual subscription arrangements.

Public domain content

Content in the public domain is free to use, with no licensing required. In the US:

All works first published before 1931 in the US (as of January 1, 2026, works from 1930 entered the public domain; one more year is added each January 1st)
Works published between 1928-1977 where copyright was not renewed
US government-produced content (NASA footage, USDA educational films, etc.)

Limitations: Public domain is legally free to use but often commercially unattractive because it's old and the quality may be low. There's also competition — many channels have the same access to the same public domain titles.

Useful source: Internet Archive (archive.org) hosts millions of public domain films, recordings, and media.

Content exchanges and marketplaces

A few platforms have emerged specifically for FAST content licensing:

Wurl's Content Exchange: Connects content owners with FAST distributors
Struum: Content marketplace for streaming
Zype: Content marketplace and distribution platform

Rights traps to avoid

YouTube-only licenses. Royalty-free music sites (Artlist, Epidemic Sound, Musicbed) often sell "YouTube-only" or "online video" licenses. These do NOT cover linear broadcast or FAST distribution. Always check whether the license explicitly covers "broadcast" or "TV distribution."

Festival-only licenses. Some filmmakers have licensed their content to a streaming service exclusively for a period. They can't sub-license to you during that window. Ask explicitly: "Are there any existing licensing commitments that would prevent you from licensing to me?"

Format confusion. "Streaming rights" is ambiguous — it can mean SVoD (subscription on-demand like Netflix), TVoD (transactional like iTunes), or FAST. Make sure your license agreement uses the specific term "FAST" or "free ad-supported linear streaming" rather than the generic "streaming."

Music licensing in acquired content. When you license a video from a third party, you're also taking on any music licensing issues in that video. Ask the licensor: "Do you have broadcast-quality music licenses for all music in this content?" If they're unsure, have them remove the music or use content where they can confirm the music rights.

Territory overlaps with existing licensees. If a content owner has already licensed to Pluto TV or Tubi in the US non-exclusively, they can license to you too. If the deal with Pluto or Tubi was exclusive, they cannot. Always ask.

What to include in a licensing agreement

Even for simple deals, get the key terms in writing:

Rights granted: "Non-exclusive right to distribute [content title] on FAST channels in [territory] in a linear, scheduled format with ad-supported monetization"
Term: "12 months from the date of this agreement"
Territory: "United States and Canada" (or whatever is agreed)
Compensation structure: Revenue share percentage or flat fee
Attribution: What credit appears in EPG/on-screen
Termination: Either party can terminate with 30 days notice
Warranty: Licensor warrants they have the rights to grant this license

A simple one-page letter agreement covers most indie content deals. For content with significant commercial value, involve a lawyer.

What's next

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