How to launch a 24/7 Free Ad-supported Streaming Television channel
Why F.A.S.T.?
Viewer behavior has shifted. Until recently, most streaming video content was consumed on premium subscription-based platforms like Netflix – a model called “SVOD (Subscription Video On Demand)”. The model made perfect sense at the time. Cable-cutters wanted premium content without having to put up with ads, and found exactly what they wanted in an SVOD market that was wide open. There were just a few big players to choose from, and they all had enormous, well-licensed libraries that had something for everyone, at a price almost anyone could afford.
By 2026, though, just about every publisher you can think of has its own bespoke streaming platform. Not only has this densified the market considerably, it has also forced the legacy SVOD platforms to give up large portions of their libraries, even as they’ve consistently raised prices across the board. Some have described this trend as a revival of the Cable TV market that modern streaming audiences deserted. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
As a result, viewers are fatigued and have become more open to free options as a way to combat the fractured silo-ing of the SVOD space. Consequently, AVOD and FAST have both surged in the last few years. Even the mighty Netflix – the pioneer and chief advocate of the SVOD model – has embraced the swerve, adding AVOD options to its service offerings, and exploring 24/7 linear channels earlier this summer.
So…why FAST? Because the market demands it. And that means it might just be required in order to maintain relevance in 2027 and beyond.
Step 1: Content – Lots of it (properly licensed).
The first and best adage of the streaming industry is this: “Content Is King”. Because a FAST channel is always streaming (literally 24/7), the first order of business is ensuring your library is large to begin with, and set to grow quickly enough to sustain a never-ending stream of output without going stale.
But it’s not just about volume. It’s also about quality, variety and consistency. People need to know what to expect from a channel, which requires it to have a clear identity. Know what your content promises to deliver, and then make sure it delivers what was promised.
Also, don’t forget about IP rights. Make sure everyone’s lawyers agree on how the content can be distributed and monetized.
Step 2: Partner with ad server providers.
If content is king, then monetization is queen. All the content in the world can’t do much good if it doesn’t turn into money somehow. But ads don’t just happen out of nowhere. You need to partner with an ad server to allow advertisers to buy spots in your programming, and to allow their ads to be inserted into the breaks in your stream.
Once you have the right partners in place, they’ll supply you with something called a Video Ad Serving Template, or a VAST tag. Hang onto that, because you’ll need to share it with your streaming distributor. But we’ll get to that soon enough.
Step 3: Pick your target viewing platform(s).
Location, location, location. Where will your audience find your content? This is both the most important question to consider, and potentially the most difficult to answer. The options are numerous and largely different from each other, and many of the most well-known are making meaningful changes in real time. It’s a lot to think about.
Roku, for example, is actually two different kinds of platforms in one. There is the Roku Apps system, which is more-or-less wide open to anyone who can get an app developed for it. The downside of such openness, though, is that the system is crowded, making visibility and organic discoverability more difficult.
On the other hand, getting included in the Roku Channels system is a great way to maximize visibility and discoverability, and may even come with some prioritization from Roku themselves. But it typically requires a direct agreement between you and Roku, which is naturally a more selective proposition than the Apps route.
And that’s just Roku. The good news is that some of this can get a lot easier, depending on what distributor you choose. Some destination platforms have arrangements with certain distributors that make getting your content featured there a lot simpler. And that brings us to the next step.
Step 4: Partner with a streaming distributor
Now that you have your library and VAST tag ready to go, and some idea of where you’d like your content to be found, you need to choose a distributor to send it there as a FAST channel. A good distributor will also initiate the ad breaks, and insert the ads into those breaks, using the VAST tag provided by your ad server partner.
Any distributor should be able to deliver a FAST channel to a website or app that you own and operate, no problem. But not every distributor can hit every 3rd-party platform. Some, like SamsungTV+ for example, require an exclusive certification that ensures the distributor can meet their platform’s specifications. And there are others that might require an existing agreement with you, the publisher, before allowing the distributor to send your content to their platform.
This is why you should select target platforms before shopping for a distributor. Not only does it help you make sure you’re prepared in advance, it also helps you narrow the options to just the distributors you know are eligible for the platforms you want. Just keep in mind that a distributor might not name-drop every single platform they can send to, so if there’s a few you’re not sure about, never hesitate to simply ask the distributor about them. Besides, the best distributors out there should be flexible enough to accommodate almost any target.
Step 5: Prepare and launch your FAST channel
This is the fun part, which tends to go something like this:
- Integrate your content library with the distributor’s Content Management System (CMS).
- Make sure all your content’s metadata is complete, thorough and accurate.
- Build your programming schedule, along with your Electronic Program Guide (EPG).
- Test the stream to make sure everything’s working.
- Send the URL to the platform for their review
Once the platform completes their review, they’ll deploy it and, voila – you’re launched!
ViewNexa Can Help!
- Distribute to all major viewing platforms
- Flexibly accommodate almost any other viewing platform
- Feature BOTH live AND on-demand content in a single HLS Channel, whether on or off schedule
- Excellent, reliable stability with all-new streaming engine
- Easily initiate ad breaks, complete with ad-insertion
- Get exemplary insights with industry-leading analytics
- Fixed pricing – your revenue is 100% yours
