Exclusive: CEE FAST revenues projected to almost double to $42m by 2028

Maria Rua Aguete

Free ad-supported TV (FAST) revenue in Central and Eastern European (CEE) is projected to almost double by 2028 to reach $42m, according to new research from analyst group Omdia.

Click to expand

Annual revenue from FAST in CEE currently stands at $23.5m, with the region joining a market currently dominated by the US, while rapid expansion from the UK, Canada, and Australia is expected over the next four years.

Commenting on the state of the market at NEM Dubrovnik today, Omdia’s senior research director for media & entertainment, Maria Rua Aguete, said: “Though CEE is present in the FAST race, growth will be limited compared to other regions.

“Traditional linear TV and social video have typically driven video advertising revenues in CEE, which have generated $5.6bn and $1.1bn respectively. Pay- TV is still growing in this market alongside a strong traditional free-to-air viewing model.

“This region’s online advertising market is a lot less developed compared to their Western Europe counterparts and there is currently no ecosystem or marketplace that can provide premium ad-supported advertising video on demand (AVOD) and FAST services. A combination of these factors has resulted in reduced consumer interest in FAST.”

Click to expand

Rakuten and Plex are the only FAST platforms available in CEE. A few local players exist such as Kabaret TV in Poland, but overall, the FAST market is nascent in CEE.

Due to CEE’s current smaller market size, the international FAST channel operators have not launched their channels in the region. ITV Studios cited cost of dubbing as the reason for not yet launching FAST in Italy or Spain, meaning CEE markets with multiple languages will lag even further behind.

“Several of these dynamics underline the low cost and minimal investment required for FAST to succeed across the CEE market. Artificial intelligence is a technology that channel operator DAZN is looking into as a means to provide cost-effective dubbing. This is definitely a market to watch over the coming years,” added Rua Aguete.