FAST Channel Glossary: 40 Streaming TV Terms Defined

The FAST industry inherited jargon from broadcast TV, digital advertising, and streaming engineering all at once. This glossary defines the terms in plain language, grouped by topic. Each definition stands alone, so you can link to any of them.

The business models

FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV). Linear TV channels delivered over the internet, free to viewers, funded by advertising. The defining traits: a fixed schedule, a program guide, and no subscription. Full explainer: What is FAST TV?

AVOD (Advertising-based Video On Demand). Free, ad-supported viewing where the viewer picks titles from a library. On-demand rather than linear. YouTube is the largest example. Full explainer: What is AVOD?

SVOD (Subscription Video On Demand). A paid subscription for an on-demand library. Netflix is the archetype.

TVOD (Transactional Video On Demand). Pay-per-title rental or purchase, like Apple TV movie rentals.

CTV (Connected TV). Any television connected to the internet, whether through a smart TV OS or a plug-in device like a Roku stick. In advertising, "CTV" names the whole category of ads shown on those screens. Full explainer: What is CTV?

OTT (Over-The-Top). Video delivered over the open internet, bypassing cable and satellite. Older, broader term than CTV: OTT includes phones and laptops; CTV means the TV screen. The distinction in depth: OTT vs. CTV

Linear. Programming that follows a fixed schedule the viewer tunes into, as opposed to on-demand. A FAST channel is linear; a library is not. Full explainer: What is linear TV?

Lean-back viewing. Watching without actively choosing each title: turning on a channel and letting it play. The viewing mode linear TV is built for.

Channels and programming

EPG (Electronic Program Guide). The on-screen TV guide: a grid of channels and time slots showing what is on now and next. FAST platforms generate EPG data feeds (commonly in XMLTV format) so distributors can show your schedule. See EPG generation for FAST channels.

XMLTV. The de facto XML file format for exchanging program-schedule data between channel operators and distribution platforms.

Playout. The system that turns a schedule plus a content library into a continuous video stream: the software equivalent of a broadcast master control room. See 24/7 playout.

Schedule block. One scheduled item on a channel: a program occupying a start time and duration in the playout schedule.

Dayparting. Programming different content for different times of day (morning news, prime-time features, overnight reruns), inherited from broadcast practice.

Marathon. Back-to-back scheduling of one series for hours. A staple of FAST programming because it retains channel-surfing viewers.

Branded channel. A channel distributed as its own named tile or guide entry on a platform (for example, your channel appearing directly in Samsung TV Plus), rather than inside an aggregator app. Requires a direct deal with each platform.

Aggregator. An app or service that carries many channels from different operators under one roof. Pluto TV, Plex, and Vidiyo are aggregators; getting carried by one is the fastest route to distribution.

Syndication. Licensing your channel or content for carriage on platforms you do not operate.

Linear rights. The legal right to include content in a scheduled channel. Distinct from on-demand rights: a license that covers YouTube uploads does not automatically cover linear playout. See content licensing for FAST.

Streaming technology

HLS (HTTP Live Streaming). The dominant protocol for delivering FAST streams: video is cut into small segments listed in a manifest file the player fetches continuously. See HLS manifests explained.

Manifest (playlist). The .m3u8 index file in HLS that tells a player which video segments to fetch, at which quality levels.

ABR (Adaptive Bitrate). Encoding a stream at multiple quality levels (a "ladder") so players can switch based on the viewer's bandwidth.

Transcoding. Converting uploaded video into the formats and bitrates needed for streaming. Every FAST platform transcodes your masters into an ABR ladder.

Bitrate ladder. The set of quality renditions (for example 1080p, 720p, 480p) a stream is encoded into for ABR delivery.

Origin. The server (or storage) that holds stream segments before a CDN distributes them.

CDN (Content Delivery Network). The distributed network that caches video segments close to viewers. All large-scale streaming rides on CDNs.

Latency. The delay between the live playout moment and what the viewer sees. FAST channels typically run tens of seconds behind; this only matters for live events.

DRM (Digital Rights Management). Encryption controlling who can decode content. Most FAST channels skip DRM; premium licensed content sometimes requires it. See DRM for FAST channels.

Closed captions. Timed-text subtitles. US channels distributing through major platforms are generally expected to provide them, and FCC rules apply to content that aired on US broadcast TV. See FCC caption requirements.

Advertising

SSAI (Server-Side Ad Insertion). Stitching ads into the video stream on the server, so ads arrive as part of the same stream as content. This is how FAST channels serve ads; it defeats ad blockers and plays without a visible handoff on every device. See What is SSAI?

CSAI (Client-Side Ad Insertion). The older alternative: the player app pauses content and fetches ads itself. Simpler, but blockable and clunkier on TV devices.

Ad pod. A group of ads played back-to-back in one commercial break, like a traditional TV break. Pods have a total duration and a number of slots.

Ad break. The scheduled interruption in programming where an ad pod plays.

SCTE-35. The broadcast-standard signal embedded in a stream that marks where ad breaks begin and end. SSAI systems read SCTE-35 markers to know where to stitch ads. Full explainer: What is SCTE-35?

VAST (Video Ad Serving Template). The XML standard ad servers use to hand a video ad (media file, tracking URLs, duration) to the system that will play it. Full explainer: What is a VAST tag?

CPM (Cost Per Mille). The price an advertiser pays per 1,000 ad impressions. The core pricing unit of FAST monetization.

Fill rate. The percentage of available ad slots that actually get sold and filled with a paying ad. Unfilled slots earn nothing, which is why fill rate matters as much as CPM. See ad fill optimization.

Ad load. How many minutes of ads run per hour of programming. FAST services typically run lighter ad loads than cable.

Impression. One ad actually rendered to one viewer. The unit CPM pricing counts.

Beacon (tracking pixel). The HTTP request fired when an ad starts, reaches a quartile, or completes, so all parties can count impressions consistently.

Programmatic. Buying and selling ad inventory through automated auctions rather than direct sales deals.

Revenue share. The split of ad revenue between the platform and the channel operator: the standard commercial arrangement on FAST aggregators. See FAST channel monetization.

Measurement

MAU (Monthly Active Users). Unique users of a service in a month: the scale metric FAST services publicize.

HOV (Hours of Viewing). Total watch time, the engagement metric large FAST reports track year over year.

AVOD/FAST share of TV. Nielsen's The Gauge reports each service's share of total US TV time; FAST services are measured alongside broadcast and cable. Current figures: FAST channel statistics.

Concurrent viewers. How many people are watching a channel at the same moment: the live-TV scale metric.

Completion rate. The share of started ad (or content) plays that finish. High completion is a selling point of lean-back linear viewing.

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