Going FAST: The return of linear TV

After losing thousands of subscribers recently, Netflix launched its highly anticipated ad-supported plan in November 2022 - only a few months after announcing the news. The streaming giant is not the only service that is struggling, but also the entire U.S. subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) market. Meanwhile advertising is making a comeback to the home entertainment stage. Ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) has been growing rapidly in the last few years, and another advertising-based streaming segment has caught the attention of consumers, content owners, and advertisers: free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST). FAST services, for instance Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, and Freevee, offer free linear channels in exchange for watching ads, like traditional TV does. So, what are FAST's advantages compared to SVOD and traditional TV?