Competitive Info: 47% Of U.S. Households Watching FAST Channels Weekly.

Nearly half (47%) of U.S. households now watch free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels on a weekly basis, according to new research from Wurl, the streaming TV arm of AppLovin.

The report, whose findings were reported by MediaPost, shows that monthly active households tuning in to FAST channels have increased 12% in 2025. In addition, the average daily viewing time per household is up 16%, resulting in a 29% overall increase in total viewing time vs. 2024.

In August, FAST platforms such as The Roku Channel and Tubi surpassed Paramount+, Peacock, HBO Max, and Discovery+ in household TV market share.

Not only are viewers consuming more content, but they’re also engaging more deeply. Average session length on FAST channels rose 25%, and users are sampling a wider variety of channels than they did last year.

Genres like Reality, Drama, and Documentary lead the pack in terms of popularity, while News continues to hold steady, with viewership surging during major events like the 2024 election. Political advertising served as a significant revenue source for Tubi, which is owned by Fox, during that period.

Despite growing audience numbers, advertising hasn’t entirely kept pace, Wurl reports. Ad fill rates remain lower than in previous years, indicating there is still untapped potential in a market showing strong momentum.

As viewers spend more time on FAST channels and engage more with the content, publishers are adopting new, more targeted ad strategies to help drive demand. Tubi recently revealed plans to live-stream an upcoming NFL Thanksgiving Day game, while YouTube live-streamed the NFL season opener from Brazil in September.

“As the streaming landscape continues to evolve, free streaming TV is proving itself to be an efficient and high-performing channel,” Dave Bernath, CEO, Wurl, says in a statement. “We’re seeing significant growth in both audience scale and engagement. At the same time, premium ad inventory remains available, which means advertisers have a unique opportunity to secure high-impact placements as the market continues to mature.”