Annual Conference Post-Session Interview: FAST Predictions and Lessons Learned (VIDEO)
The topic of FAST was on the minds of many attendees at the 2024 MFM Annual Conference in Jacksonville, and this year's "FAST Predictions and Lessons Learned" panel featured a lineup of experts who know the benefits and challenges of FAST well. Shane Johnson of Warner Bros. Discovery said WBD is "leaning into FAST as a complementary tool" by repackaging and refreshing some of its existing content into its FAST channels as a means to both attract consumers who want an ad-supported service but who may eventually be interested in moving into one of WBD's paid services. Likewise, Mike Van Horn of Nexstar Media Group describes FAST as "a piece of the larger toolbox" to try to grow Nexstar's networks and new original content such as The Hill, NewsNation, the CW and the lineup of sports offerings the company is pursuing. but said FAST would have to rival the billions of dollars a year the company makes from traditional distribution agreements.
Lenora Hendley of SymphonyAI noted that "the number one problem with data is getting access," given cybersecurity concerns and other issues. Once you get the data, she explained, the second challenge is normalization around data, since definitions of data can vary by content provider. Finally, there's a big obstacle in determining how metrics are derived, such as different criteria around what constitutes a monthly active user (MAU) makes it difficult to determine ROI. Even with these challenges, the promise of FAST is significant enough that more and more industry players are looking to create FAST offerings. Tune in here to catch highlights from another great panel from the conference.
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