What Is FAST TV?

By Rachelle Dragani

Move over, old(ish) streaming services. There’s an even newer way to watch TV.

It’s called FAST TV. And like everything in the streaming TV space, it’s constantly evolving. So let’s take a look at what it is, where you can find it and how you can use it to view free entertainment that you love.

What is FAST TV?

FAST TV stands for “free ad-supported streaming television.” There are several options for FAST TV with varied offerings. But in general, the channels offer live TV viewing streamed through your internet connection. You can download a free app straight to your TV or mobile device and scroll through channels and find something to watch. In some cases, the platforms also offer older programming or original shows on demand.

There are no subscriptions needed, and it all remains free. The big trade-off? You have to watch commercials.

If it all sounds familiar, it’s because it is. FAST TV can feel like the TV viewing experience we had before streaming debuted—just turn on a channel and watch what they’re playing, or flip to the next to see what happens to be there. Sprinkle ads in between, and you get the FAST TV experience.

Why do people watch FAST TV?

For viewers who have cut the cable cord and love having all their favorite modern shows and movies on streaming services, the appeal of FAST TV may be confusing. But there’s a lot to love about the services.

FAST TV can allow for discovery in a way many streaming platforms don’t. It has an incredibly wide variety of content that may not come to you organically, such as anime, K-dramas, Spanish-language TV, shows related to hobbies like cooking or cars, and classic movies. And even reruns of old shows harder to consistently find on streaming services, like “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson,” “Matlock” and “Baywatch.” You may not know some of these are right up your alley—but you can easily get hooked when you’re channel surfing.

How do I watch FAST TV?

Let’s take a look at some of the most popular FAST TV options—and how you can access them today.

Tubi

Tubi is one of the most popular FAST TV channels out there. It boasts having more than 200,000 movies and episodes across about 250 channels. The service also has original content, tons of programming in Spanish and content for kids.

How to access Tubi: You can watch live Tubi from a web browser. You can download the app for free on smart TVs like your Samsung or Sony, as well as to streaming devices like a Roku or Apple TV.

Freevee

This Amazon-owned FAST TV channel naturally feels a lot like Prime Video. It has some original content and more on-demand content than some of its FAST TV channel competitors.

How to access Freevee: You need an Amazon account (but not a Prime account) to access Freevee. After that, you can watch from a wide variety of locations, including your smart TV, streaming devices or a web browser.

Pluto TV

Pluto is owned by Paramount, so it has channels that broadcast its original content, as well as some on-demand TV shows and movies. Fans of reality competition shows, sports, daytime television, classic shows and westerns will find a lot to love on Pluto.

How to access Pluto TV: You can watch Pluto TV from a web browser. You can also watch it via an app on your smart TV, or on streaming devices like your PlayStation, Apple TV or Chromecast.

Roku

Roku is a streaming device, and it also offers a FAST TV channel by the same name. The Roku Channel has about 400 live channels as well as on-demand content, viewing everything from sports to old sitcoms to true crime. Another note about Roku—there is (confusingly!) some premium content available on the service from paid subscription streaming services like Paramount Plus and Showtime. Consequently, The Roku Channel can feel more like a mixed hub for some free live TV and paid content, rather than an exclusively FAST TV network.

How to access Roku’s FAST TV channel: If you have a Roku streaming device or a Roku smart TV, it will come with your device. If you don’t, you can download the app to a select few Samsung smart TVs or Amazon Fire devices, or watch it via a web browser or the mobile app.

FAST TV channels versus AVOD, SVOD and TVOD

There are more monetization models that compete with FAST TV channels. AVOD stands for “ad-based video on-demand platforms.” This means they operate similarly to streaming platforms, where you can choose the content to watch rather than rely on live TV offerings, but you’re still watching advertising to support the programming. They typically have bigger content offerings than FAST TV channels, but may be more limited in access. AVOD channel Samsung TV Plus, for instance, is only available on Samsung devices. SVOD (“subscription video on demand’) lets viewers choose subscription terms to watch content, and the service may or may not include ads. Finally TVOD (“transactional video on demand”) is a pay-per-view service.

You have choices these days, and it’s clear that the ways you watch will continue to develop.

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Product features and availability may have changed and are subject to change.