As the media landscape continues to fragment, agencies and planners are actively navigating the transition from traditional cable to free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST).
Joe Grisafi, Agency Partnership Lead at Samsung Ads, shares how agencies are approaching FAST today and what marketers need to know to make it a results-driving part of their media mix.
From add-on to anchor: how agencies view FAST
Having witnessed TV’s evolution from the earliest days of pure linear broadcasting to the rise of paid streaming and now the explosion of FAST, Grisafi has a unique perspective on what drives audience engagement today.
“The industry has shifted and the viewer now has more control than ever,” he says. “Understanding these changes is critical for brands that want to reach audiences where they actually watch.”
Agencies are broadly embracing FAST, but the depth of understanding varies. “Consumer behavior has become the anchor of most audience strategies,” says Grisafi. “If you understand how people actually enter and navigate the TV experience now, FAST moves beyond a fringe add-on and functions like a primary access point to reach targeted audiences.”
A major shift in planning today comes from the Home Screen becoming the true entry point where every viewing decision begins. On Samsung TVs, the Home Screen now acts as a centralized, neutral gateway that presents all content options side by side, whether they’re FAST channels, SVOD services, or premium apps. This layout effectively levels the playing field for FAST, giving it the same visibility and consideration as any subscription service.
With more than 100 million monthly active users, Samsung TV Plus’s FAST environment is a premium, curated destination designed around viewers’ unique interests, moods, and needs. Viewers can access content across more than 700 channels, including the key categories of live sports, music, kids, Spanish language, K-Content, award-winning films, and popular TV shows.
Rather than being served broad, cable-era categories like “sports” or “DIY”, audiences now discover finely-tuned programming that aligns with their preferences. This creates the same binge-ability of traditional TV but with sharper targeting. The question now is how to map viewer intent to these curated FAST environments so planning isn’t just about buying impressions.It’s about buying predictable outcomes, where content itself drives audience engagement and makes targeting precise for advertisers.
“FAST has pushed agencies away from legacy category buying and toward intent-led planning,” said Grisafi. “Instead of asking, ‘What genre are we in?,’ their teams are asking, ‘What mindset is the viewer in when they turn the TV on?’ That shift changes how they think about reach, relevance, and outcomes.”
Choosing “freemium”: shifting audience behavior
While the “F” in FAST still stands for free, value alone isn’t driving adoption and retention. More than half of viewers surveyed said they return to FAST because of the programming quality and depth. Consumers may subscribe to premium content for a season or special series, but FAST provides always-on inventory. “For advertisers, this means consistent, reliable engagement with content even when premium programming may be seasonal,” said Grisafi. “FAST programming fills gaps and reaches audiences year-round.”
Nearly all agencies now include FAST in their media plans, though there’s an important distinction: inventory aligned with major programming networks is often automatically included, while device- or manufacturer-owned FAST channels need to be actively added.
While FAST is now part of almost every plan, not all FAST is created equal. “From a planning perspective, the distinction matters because device-owned FAST experiences often influence discovery earlier in the viewing journey,” said Grisafi. “That changes how we think about reach, frequency, and the role of the Home Screen versus traditional channel lineups.”
Improved measurement and scale: underestimating FAST opportunities
Beyond content strategy, the next unlock is performance, which FAST is known for with its niche programming and audiences. As audiences move away from cable, FAST has become a must- buy option for brands.
“It’s like the evolution from broadcast to cable,” said Grisafi. “Initially, cable audiences were targeted broad across targeted channels. Now, FAST inventory needs to be understood the same way for scalability and measurement. Marketers must think beyond single programs once again and target more broadly to maximize reach demographically and contextually.”
Measurement is another area of opportunity. Grisafi highlights the value of tracking consumer journeys, testing creative for specific audience segments, and even incorporating geotargeting. OEM-owned FAST inventory offers rich, one-to-one access in the home, creating avenues for innovation in creative and retention strategies that go beyond traditional TV campaigns.
Making Samsung TV Plus work
Before diving into FAST, agencies must pinpoint the outcomes that matter most, notably reach, efficiency, and competitive gain. “The first step is always understanding what the brand is trying to achieve, whether it’s reaching new households, filling gaps, or connecting with competitor audiences,” said Grisafi.
Samsung TV Plus, Samsung’s leading FAST service, can expand reach beyond existing buys, measure audience quality, and enable conquesting of competitive audiences. Samsung TV Plus allows brands of all sizes to compete in premium content spaces affordably and leverage Samsung’s creative suite for customized messaging to prompt consumer engagement, all while saving agencies time and cost.
First-party data further informs what creative resonates, optimizing campaigns across the FAST ecosystem.
Looking ahead: A growth engine for engagement
As agencies look to 2026 and beyond, they’re doubling down on first-party audience matching and exploring partnerships that allow brands to create highly customized experiences. Creator-driven, long-form content is emerging as another avenue for engagement and shoppable moments. Grisafi emphasizes the importance of thinking in terms of “near and next” by leveraging opportunities available today while planning for AI, machine learning, and richer consumer integration in the home.
“What’s exciting about FAST is that it combines the best of traditional television with the accountability agencies are being asked to deliver,” said Grisafi. “With the right partners, it’s becoming a durable growth channel.