在不到 20 年的时间里，流媒体视频既改变了电视行业的格局，也在一定程度上重塑了流媒体出现之前电视行业的面貌。
随着内容创作者、媒体公司和设备制造商在越来越多的平台上推出新的免费广告支持电视频道（FAST），广告作为一种跨平台和服务的货币化手段开始蓬勃发展，不仅如此，预定的直播节目也在不断获得青睐。
然而，尽管一些创作者可以迅速开发并推出新的 FAST 频道，最好还能制定战略分销计划，但要确保频道的长期生存能力却很难保证。
For starters, the FAST landscape has become incredibly crowded over the last year. Given the rapidly evolving FAST landscape, industry size estimations are varied. According to Gracenote 视频数据, there are more than 1,900 individual FAST channels for audiences to choose from, with more than 1,300 in the U.S. alone. For context, there were just 1,000 in the U.S. mid-way through 2023.
八个月内增长了 30%。更重要的是，各个 FAST 平台，如 Pluto TV、亚马逊的 Freevee 和 Tubi，通常都有数百个频道，为个人电子节目指南提供了充足的选择。
The three independently reported FAST services in Nielsen’s the Gauge have a combined total of more than 800 live TV channels
Industry congestion notwithstanding, viewer engagement and advertising dollars are increasingly focused on over-the-top1 content that audiences access via their connected TVs (CTV2). In third-quarter 2023, for example, audiences spent just under two hours per day with CTV content3, representing more than 40% of their total time with TV (4:34 per day).
Time with FAST programming is also growing: Pluto TV, Tubi and the Roku Channel accounted for 3.7% of total TV use4 in February 2024. With viewership rising, advertising is following suit. Digital TV Research Ltd., for example, forecasts that global FAST revenue will hit $17 billion in 2029, up from $8 billion in 2023.
Not everyone will benefit from the upswing. More channels does not equate to more viewership. It simply disperses viewership. This is true across the streaming industry, and audiences are overwhelmed. A January Motley Fool survey, for example, found that 62% of audiences say there are too many streaming options, with 39% reporting pulling back on the services they subscribe to on a year-over-year basis.
70% 的流媒体消费者熟悉 FAST 服务，并在过去三个月中观看过 FAST 内容
FAST services stand to benefit from subscription overload, as a 2023 Deloitte survey found that 19% of consumers have switched from a paid subscription to a FAST service. Additionally, Nielsen’s latest streaming consumer survey found that 70% of respondents said they are familiar with FAST and have watched FAST content in the past three months. Access to new content is a primary driver, with 63% saying they have access to traditional VOD services but are interested in exploring new content on FAST platforms.
然而，随着整个行业对内容货币化的关注，进入 FAST 行业的创作者、出版商和广播公司需要做的不仅仅是向观众提供他们的节目。
吸引和留住受众的最佳方式是为他们提供他们真正需要的东西。但是，内容并不是与生俱来就具有向受众传递信息的能力。这就是元数据的作用所在。但与内容一样，元数据也不是千篇一律的。这在 FAST 服务中尤为明显，因为在这些服务中，各个频道都来自不同的发行商。
But when content includes a Gracenote ID, it’s automatically linked to an array of standardized entertainment assets that are critical in fulfilling audience search and discovery journeys. Linked information includes:
- 说明
- 类型
- 演员
- 图像
- 计划可用性
FAST 生态系统仍处于早期阶段，在元数据方面正在迎头赶上。例如，最近的一项分析发现，在提交给 Gracenote 的 FAST 节目中，有 31% 没有包含任何类型信息。这本身就会限制货币化的机会，因为品牌和代理商不可能在不知道节目类型的情况下针对内容做广告。
但是，拥有基础知识仅仅是个开始。未来的成功需要丰富数据的策略，在图像和描述的基础上提供更完整的内容。情绪、主题、场景和设定等附加信息提供了一个新的信息层，可以提升节目对寻找观看内容的受众的吸引力。
此外，丰富的元数据有助于确保内容在下一代 FAST 体验到来时脱颖而出，包括增强推荐引擎的搜索和发现算法--这在传统 VOD 环境中已成为桌面赌注。
规范化和全面的元数据的重要性怎么强调都不为过。迪斯尼最近对元数据进行了全面调整，将 Hulu 内容引入 Disney+ 应用程序，这凸显了各个应用程序和平台在内容和元数据方面的巨大差异。
虽然这项工作是在 VOD 领域进行的，但它说明了整个流媒体领域对元数据的各种处理方法，以及由此带来的相关分发挑战。不过，拥有合适的元数据合作伙伴，可以确保内容快速接入任何平台，并提供尽可能丰富的受众体验--包括那些尚未在 FAST 生态系统中实现的内容。
For additional insight into the needs of FAST content heading into the future, download our FAST toolkit.
资料来源
1Over-the-top (OTT) refers to streaming video content that audiences access through an internet connection.
2CTV refers to any television that is connected to the internet. The most common use case is to stream video content.
3尼尔森全国电视小组
4Nielsen’s The Gauge, February 2024
