Broadcaster
A broadcaster with an archive that its own platform cannot surface and that currently earns nothing
Streaming platformExploringBuilt by Professional ServicesLast updated 29 July 2026
FAST ChannelsFree ad-supported linear channels built from content you already own
A back catalogue earns nothing while FAST platforms are actively buying linear channels to fill their grids. This POC investigates assembling free ad-supported linear channels out of content a rights holder already owns, so the catalogue becomes a distribution asset without commissioning anything new.
The problem this solves
Most rights holders hold far more content than their own platform can surface, and the long tail of it generates no revenue at all. FAST aggregators, meanwhile, need a continuous supply of themed linear channels and are willing to pay for them, but they want a channel, not a folder of assets.
Turning a library into a channel is where the effort sits: scheduling, ad break placement, continuity, artwork, metadata and the operational discipline to keep a grid full every day. Doing that by hand costs more than the channel earns, which is why the content stays on the shelf.
Who this is for
This is relevant if you are:
Rights holder
A rights holder being asked by FAST aggregators for themed linear channels rather than individual titles
The approach we are investigating
- 1Group existing catalogue into themes that can sustain a continuous schedule, rather than picking titles by hand.
- 2Generate a rolling schedule with ad break positions placed where they do not cut across the content.
- 3Produce the channel output and the metadata each FAST aggregator expects, since their requirements differ.
- 4Establish how much of the grid can be maintained without a human scheduler, because that ratio decides whether the channel is profitable.
What makes it different
FAST channel tooling generally assumes you already know what the channel is and just need it played out. The harder question is which subsets of a catalogue can carry a channel at all, and how much manual scheduling each one will keep demanding once it is live. This POC starts from that question rather than from playout, because it is the one that decides whether the channel makes money.
Current status & next steps
ExploringReviewed 29 July 2026
This is an early concept and nothing is deployed. There is no demo on this page because there is nothing yet worth putting in front of a visitor - that is what the Exploring status means here.
What we need before building anything is a real catalogue to test the assumption against, since the whole idea rests on how much of a schedule can be assembled without a human.
Have a catalogue that earns nothing?
Tell us roughly what you hold and which aggregators have approached you. That is what we need to work out whether a channel from your library would pay for itself.