News remains most popular genre in APAC with 40% HOV share; monetization of Kids channels remains lowest

The 14th Amagi Global FAST Report highlights content providers’ shift toward unified, platform-agnostic distribution to amplify both reach and monetization. The traditional boundaries between video services are blurring, with pay TV services now offering FAST (Free Ad-supported Streaming TV) channels, SVOD (Subscription Video on Demand) platforms introducing ad-supported tiers, and FAST services seamlessly blending linear channels with AVOD (Advertising-Based Video on Demand) content. To be more agile, efficient, and profitable in addressing evolving consumer preferences, content providers are embracing unified distribution strategies that enable them to reduce costs instead of creating separate teams and infrastructure.

“The media landscape is rapidly evolving, and the old ways of distributing content in silos just won't cut it anymore,” said Srinivasan KA, Co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Amagi. “Our latest report shows a significant trend: Viewers are flocking to free streaming services, but they're getting frustrated with the fragmented experience of jumping between multiple platforms. This presents a clear opportunity in the market, as video services that can offer a seamless, integrated experience combining free, paid, and ad-supported models will stay on top. Content providers need to take a hard look at their distribution strategies, break down their silos, and unify operations. While unifying steaming operations will deliver efficiency, it's ultimately about meeting the changing demands of today's viewers.”

APAC

News remained the most popular genre in APAC with 40% HOV share, followed by Entertainment at a 23% share.

• Within the Entertainment genre, Comedy, Drama, Horror and Reality accounted for 30% of the HOV.

• Like in the U.S. & Canada and EMEA, Music is the best monetized genre in APAC as well. Monetization of Kids channels remains the lowest.

• Of the ~300 new channels launched in APAC, ~100 were Entertainment, ~70 were News and ~50 were Documentaries

U.S. & Canada:

• Comedy, Drama and Reality channels contributed 20% to the overall Entertainment HOV.

• 16% of the News HOV came from local news channels.

• Home & Garden dominated the Lifestyle HOV with 65% contribution; Food & Cooking came in second with 14% contribution.

• Nature, Science and Crime channels contributed the most (67%) to the Documentaries HOV.

• Music was the best monetized genre, followed by Sports and Documentaries.

• ~850 new channels were launched in the U.S. & Canada, of which ~380 were Entertainment channels, ~150 News channels and ~100 Lifestyle channels. Sports and Documentaries had ~90 new channels.

EMEA:

• Entertainment (39%) and Documentaries (17%) continued to be the top contributing genres in EMEA.

• Comedy, Drama and Reality channels contributed 33% to the Entertainment HOV.

• Nature and Wildlife were the most watched sub-genres in Documentaries, contributing 68% to the Documentaries HOV.

• Music was the best monetized genre in EMEA as well, followed by Sports and Documentaries.

• ~480 new channels were launched in EMEA, with most encompassing Entertainment (~200) and Documentaries (~100)

LATAM:

• Entertainment continues to be the most popular genre in LATAM, accounting for 73% of HOV.

• Lifestyle is the second most popular genre, contributing to 15% share in overall HOV, with Food/Cooking channels being a crowd favorite.

• Lifestyle is the best monetized genre.

• Of the ~70 new channels launched in LATAM, Entertainment accounted for ~40 channels.