FAST TV beyond borders – expanding to new territories
As the OTT market gains momentum, OTT players are preparing to expand outside North America and Europe.
OTT distribution offers an unparalleled route into global audiences, opening the door for providers to pursue a fundamentally different viewership from those targeted by broadcast and cable, in that traditional regional and national boundaries no longer apply. As a result, the opportunity to realize a truly global OTT market without borders has become a very realistic goal.
But reaching for a worldwide audience isn't as simple as making services available in other parts of the world, it requires planning for a "one world" market by adopting and adapting content as necessary to make it accessible to viewers outside its original regions.
This is already being seen with the Netflixes of the world, where international films and TV series that viewers previously would never have been exposed to are becoming wildly popular – take South Korean dystopian series, ‘Squid Game’ for example. This access builds audiences irrespective of territory, putting alternative content directly in front of viewers rather than having them seek it out.
This increasing appetite for regional content can be seen worldwide, particularly in large and diversified countries such as India, where there is specific regional demand for localized content to serve their different demographics and languages.
Beyond the need to support more languages, content owners face several challenges; increasing volumes of original content, resurrection and exploitation of large content archives, and the demand to provide for more distribution formats than ever before, all in an ever-decreasing time to market.
A key challenge of globalizing OTT services – particularly for AVOD-based services – is navigating the minefield that is localized advertising. Each territory demands different advertising requirements. Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all model, distributors must explore the need for customized ad offerings for different market segments.
Equally, broadband internet access is not widespread, and in mobile-first markets, subscribers tend to rely on cellular data, which is much more constrained than wired internet. The market has seen a huge shift in how viewers consume, and given how much OTT content is watched on mobile devices, knowing which devices are used to consume OTT content in new territories and understanding the bandwidth constraints under which those devices are being used are critical factors in ensuring a smooth arrival and seamless adoption in a new country.
Another inescapable consideration is navigating rights and licensing in each new territory. Global rights restrictions may inhibit an OTT service's ability to distribute identical content everywhere. Although the sector is less regulated than offline mediums, such as film and television, like nearly everything in the global OTT scene, this is changing fast.
FAST Channels TV is unique in that we merge our own hardware and software expertise with world-class partnerships to create premium viewing for the best consumer experiences – regardless of place, device, or time. FAST Channels TV is continuing to grow its range of channels, delivering a wide variety of content across diverse territories and subject areas, including LatAm as well as Indian and African packages.
About FAST Channels TV:
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For inquiries about launching a FAST channel or adding some or all of our channels to your platform, contact FAST Channels TV at info@fastchannels.tv or visit https://www.fastchannels.tv/