🇪🇺 FAST Enters the Mainstream in the European Market

According to the study, free streaming has become a daily habit for Europeans: 73.7% of respondents watch FAST channels either every day or several times a week, while 80.1% consider the format a viable alternative to paid subscriptions. The television screen remains the primary vehicle for FAST, with 93.7% of viewers preferring to watch this content on a Smart TV.

The research also recorded a high level of advertising loyalty, with 82.3% of users accepting commercials as a fair trade-off for free access to movies and shows, particularly when the ads are relevant to their interests. Furthermore, FAST platforms have begun serving as a digital storefront: 45.9% of Europeans use them to sample content before deciding whether to purchase a paid subscription to specific SVoD services.

Cédric Dufour, CEO of Rakuten TV, emphasized that the FAST market in Europe has entered a phase of maturity. For rights holders, this unlocks massive opportunities to monetize existing content libraries, especially given the audience’s growing “subscription fatigue” (a trend particularly pronounced in Germany).

Meanwhile, analysts identify localization as the critical factor for long-term viewer retention: 92.4% of those surveyed stated that the availability of culturally and linguistically relevant content is vital to their user experience. Notably, demand for localized programming lineups in Spain and Italy emerged as some of the highest in Europe.