Zee5 has announced its partnership with Amagi Media Labs to roll out the Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television (FAST) channels service in India. The company said that it will launch the FAST channels in August to offer content with ads for free to its viewers. The company already has an ad-free subscription revenue model, but now it is eyeing a new sector that offers a traditional TV-like viewing experience. The FAST sector is estimated to grow at an annual rate of 12.67% in five years (2025-30). However, the company is not the first one to enter the market.
Zee5 to Launch FAST Channels
According to a press release by Zee5, the streaming platform is going to leverage Amagi Media Labs technology to launch its range of FAST channels in India in August. The company claims that this move will further strengthen its Connected TV service. Zee5 said that the FAST channels will cover a range of content like movies and series from various genres such as comedy, drama, and horror on connected devices and smart TVs. Zee5 dubs it as a strategic move that could help it increase its presence in the connected TV ecosystem, which it claims is growing at a great pace.
What are FAST Channels?
According to Statista, FAST television service offers a free viewing experience of content. The service providers earn through the advertising revenue, similar to how traditional TV channels earn. It lets people access several TV channels that are made available to them at no cost in exchange for watching ads. Recently, FAST has gained popularity as people start opting to use them. To put it in simpler terms, FAST and traditional linear TV operate similarly. However, instead of choosing “specific content,” users get to select channels they would like to see.
The FAST channel service market is estimated to reach $194.71 million (about Rs. 1,671 crore) in 2025, as per Statista’s website. Moreover, the market revenue of the entire sector is expected to grow at an annual rate of 12.67% in the next five years (2025-30). In the US alone, the market revenue in 2025 was about $5.78 billion (about Rs. 49,602 crore). By 2030, the number of FAST subscribers in India are expected to be around 154.3 million.
If one is to consider these numbers, Zee5 is entering the FAST channel service at an opportune time, where the market is estimated to grow exponentially. But Zee5 is not the only player in the space. The Roku Channel and Plex have already been present in the market with a substantial presence. According to Plex’s website, it has over 25 million subscribers globally. Unfortunately, the company does not provide country-wise subscriber data.
