From Trend to Behavior
FAST – free, ad-supported streaming television – is often described as “the new cable.” But while FAST delivers the same fan-favorite crime dramas, comedies, food and travel programming, it comes without the cost or complexity.
“It’s TV out of the box,” said Justin Fromm, VP of Insights at Samsung Ads. “You don’t need a subscription, credit card, or have to spend 20 minutes figuring out what to watch.”
Ironically, cable has been training audiences for this “cable-like experience” for years. “Many FAST services have program guides, and viewers watch them in a linear fashion,” added Fromm. “When people sit down on their couches, they’re not thinking about whether they're watching cable, streaming, or FAST. To them, it’s just television.”
Why Viewers Choose FAST
As subscription fatigue sets in and consumers weigh the cost of multiple streaming services, FAST has emerged as a compelling alternative, offering a balance of value, simplicity, and variety.
Some assume that “free” is the biggest draw, but Fromm noted that “value is an undercurrent, not the primary driver” of FAST adoption. In a proprietary Samsung consumer survey, viewers also indicated that quality of the content and the ease of finding it make FAST a better way to watch what they love.
That doesn’t mean viewers are abandoning paid services altogether. Audiences are simply optimizing by keeping a few platforms they love and filling the rest of their time with FAST.
The Samsung TV Plus Difference
Samsung TV Plus, Samsung’s own FAST service, captures this shift better than anyone.
“It’s pre-programmed, curated TV that feels familiar and relevant,” said Fromm. “The content is designed for viewing with ads and because those ads are data-driven, they’re more relevant to the audience.”
For advertisers, that means reaching high-quality audiences within high-quality content, all in a data-rich environment. Since viewers can’t skip or scroll past ads, brands can deliver their full message every time.
Samsung’s first-party data – including linear viewing via ACR (Automatic Content Recognition) and app-level insights – powers solutions like Optimal Reach to identify who has and hasn’t seen an advertiser’s message across linear, FAST, and streaming.
“Advertisers can expand their reach meaningfully,” said Fromm. “We can even identify when someone has seen a competitor’s ad and not yours, and reach them strategically.”
As the research shows, share of wallet begins with share of voice.
FAST Is Reshaping the TV Landscape
For advertisers, FAST has become foundational. Samsung Ads analyzed viewing behavior among Samsung TV Plus adopters (viewers with no prior usage who used TV Plus for 3 consecutive months) and found that in the months leading up to adopting FAST, they averaged 50 hours per month of entertainment cable (excluding news and sports)
After adopting FAST, the amount of viewing remained the same, but the hours shifted between cable and FAST.
“Clearly, viewers don’t make a distinction,” said Fromm. “They’re watching the same amount of entertainment content, just through FAST instead of cable. This is a one-way trend: viewers have found what they’re looking for on FAST, that viewing time won’t go back to cable.”
This shift represents more than audience migration. It's a behavioral replacement that’s reshaping the media landscape and advertisers need to follow the audience where they actually watch shows. In other words, a brand’s old cable dollars need to be invested in FAST.
Looking Ahead: Personalized, Programmed, and Prime Time Ready
Fromm’s forecast for 2026? FAST that’s increasingly personalized and premium.
“We’re going to see AI and machine learning personalize content discovery, while curated programming like Samsung Television Network (STN) makes FAST feel even more elevated,” he said. Live content is also accelerating. “We’re already streaming events like the Jonas Brothers ‘JONAS20’ tour, and with a new partnership with FanDuel Sports Network, we’ll soon be offering select live in-market games from the NBA, NHL and MLB across a large portion of the US. Advertisers will soon reach highly engaged audiences in real time.”
With audiences spending more time in free, ad-supported environments, FAST offers both the scale and accountability advertisers demand. Samsung TV Plus, a top-five app and the #1 FAST on nearly 80 million Samsung Smart TVs in the US, gives brands immediate access to a massive, brand-safe audience. By leveraging Samsung’s deterministic first-party viewing and device data, advertisers can directly link exposure to outcomes and prove ROI with confidence.
Through performance-driven solutions like Optimal Reach, Samsung Ads helps planners expand reach, close competitive gaps, and deliver measurable business results.
“FAST is how audiences watch television now,” said Fromm. “Advertisers who plan for that reality will win the future.”
Ready to plan for that future? Partner with Samsung Ads to turn streaming behavior into measurable brand growth.