The world of FAST is changing, well… fast, according to a new Gracenote report.

Today, Gracenote, Nielsen’s content data business unit, released new research, data, and insights on the evolving landscape of free ad-supported TV services (FAST), providing information for distribution platforms and advertisers seeking to monetize consumer engagement and understand the shifting streaming environment.

According to the research, which taps Gracenote’s Global Video Data, the number of active FAST channels in key markets, including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada, have nearly doubled since mid-2023 to more than 1,610.

In addition, nearly three-fourths of the available FAST channels are in the United States, which is the leading FAST market. Collectively, more than 178,000 unique programs, episodes, and movies are available on FAST channels.

The report suggests that, due to the large and growing amount of channel and content choices available to viewers, user experience needs to be prioritized for FAST since it is a critical element for any TV service looking to monetize viewer engagement with content.

Meanwhile, the primary enabler of outstanding TV user experiences is program metadata comprising show-level attributes and descriptions and powering advanced content discovery and contextual ad targeting capabilities, per Gracenote.

“FAST is in many ways a unique service, but its lifeblood is still content,” Tim Cutting, chief revenue officer, Gracenote, said in a statement. “So, program-level metadata providing understanding of FAST content is more important than ever to audience engagement and advertising initiatives.”

Among the other key findings, the report notes that more than 70% of FAST programming has been produced since 2010, with sports, reality, and news/commentary programming making up the top three genres in FAST. Of those genres, reality is the fastest growing, increasing 626% from 19 to 138 channels since July 2024.

Additionally, showcasing the demand around sports content, the number of sports channels on FAST has more than doubled in the last year, totaling around 220 today.

Finally, Gracenote reports that entertainment—defined as TV programs that are presented in a non-story-based format and usually filmed live in a studio—is the most popular FAST genre, accounting for 303 channels.