Report: 49% of Canadian streamers use FAST
June 13, 2024
During its inaugural event, Samsung Ads Canada Innovation Day 2024, Samsung Ads Canada, the advertising arm of Samsung Electronics in Canada and a specialist in advanced TV including Connected TV (CTV), unveiled insights into Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television (FAST) viewership in Canada. Samsung currently holds a 43 per cent share of Canada’s Smart TV marketplace.
Samsung Ads Canada’s FAST Facts Canada report found that nearly half (49 per cent) of streamers use FAST and 74 per cent of consumers view the content on FAST as good or better than content on linear and streaming TV. The report sought to better understand how viewers are engaging with FAST platforms and discover what audiences think about FAST content.
“For consumers, FAST is TV,” said Justin Fromm, Head of Insights, Samsung Ads. “As the seismic shift from linear to streaming continues to rise in Canada, FAST is becoming the new entertainment platform that gives viewers access to premium content – without subscription fees – when, how, and where they want it. As more content becomes available, we anticipate FAST flourishing in the marketplace similarly to the US.”
The report’s top findings include:
- FAST is growing – 58 per cent of viewers have first used the service in the last seven months
- One in five FAST viewers are watching 5+ days a week, and more than one-quarter of total weekly TV viewing time is spent with FAST
- Nearly 40 per cent of viewers utilise FAST because of its preferred content offering:
- Movies (53 per cent), comedy (41 per cent) and news (30 per cent) were among the top genres in FAST
- More than a third of viewers are discovering FAST because it is already on their TV
“Samsung’s innovative approach underpins better connected experiences for consumers and advertisers,” said Dave Pauk, Director, Head of Sales, at Samsung Ads Canada. “Through our AI technology, data-driven advertising solutions and largest proprietary TV data set of over 6 million Smart TVs in Canada, we are optimising advertisers’ media campaigns to help expand reach, enhance personalisation and boost performance. We are continuing to extend the ‘smart’ experience with even more efficient and powerful consumer touchpoints for advertisers with Samsung TV Plus, which continues to drive engagement and provide advertisers with direct access to audiences who crave quality content.”