New data reveals the top 10 FAST services in the US
New data reveals the top 10 FAST services in the US
Big-name streamers like Pluto TV, Roku Channel, and Tubi are on the list. Which other streamers made it?
More and more subscribers are turning to free streaming services as a solution to higher subscription prices. Free streamers are often stuffed with ads, but they allow viewers to watch TV shows, movies, and the occasional live sporting event at no cost, and many also come equipped with news channels. New data from Parks Associates reveals the top 10 free streaming services in the United States, and the list is replete with familiar names.
Key Details:
- Doing the research: Parks surveyed 8,000 U.S. internet households to determine the popularity of free streaming content.
- Usual suspects: Tubi, Roku Channel, and Pluto TV are the top three free streamers domestically.
- Content wins: In general, free streamers with many types of content outperform specialized streamers.
Parks reached out to 8,000 U.S. internet households for its quarterly survey on subscriber growth and engagement. It found that 46% of American internet users say they regularly watch long-form video content found on free streaming services.
Tubi took the top spot, with Parks finding that it “significantly outpaced competitors” in its measurements of the top free streamers in the U.S. The Roku Channel took second place, and Pluto TV finished third.
Those top streamers were followed by Samsung TV Plus and Xumo Play, as well as LG Channels, ViX, Local Now, VIZIO WatchFree+, and Sling Freestream. The numbers reflect a broader streaming shift as customers increasingly look to free streamers to help them augment their paid subscriptions in order to save money.
Click to expand to full size.
“FAST services are no longer a secondary viewing option, they are a central part of the streaming landscape,” Parks executive Michael Goodman said. “The gap between leaders like Tubi and the rest of the market underscores the importance of content breadth, distribution partnerships, and user experience in driving viewer engagement.”
Of note in the data from Parks is that free streamers with a variety of content tend to perform better than highly focused ones. Local Now is the only streamer in its top 10 list to specialize in one content area (news); the rest offer a mix of entertainment, news, sports, and more.
Free streamers have become an incredibly important part of the streaming equation for American customers. They offer a large selection of the older, nostalgic content that viewers are craving, and help audiences save big by not requiring subscription fees to watch.
-
Tubi
Tubi is a free video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 200,000+ movies and TV episodes - more than any other streaming service. Its ad breaks are shorter and less frequent than most free services. Fox executives have called their service “TV on steroids.”
-
Roku Channel
The Roku Channel is a free, ad-supported streaming service that offers a broad mix of movies, TV shows, live linear channels, and original programming. Available to all viewers — not just Roku device owners — the service features licensed content from major studios alongside Roku Originals, which include exclusive series, movies, and specials previously produced for Quibi, as well as new original projects developed specifically for the platform.
-
