The Sports Gold Rush: Why FAST Channels Are Winning Big (And How You Can Too)

Sports content is having a moment on FAST. Actually, scratch that—it’s having THE moment.

While everyone’s been obsessing over scripted content and reality TV, something wild has been happening in the sports corner of FAST: channels are seeing viewer spikes that make everything else look boring. Live games, wrap-around shows, classic replays—it’s all crushing it. And here’s the kicker: most FAST channel operators are sleeping on this opportunity.
The Numbers Don’t Lie (And They’re Insane). Let’s talk about what’s actually happening out there:

When FAST channels run live sports content, viewership doesn’t just increase—it SPIKES. We’re talking 5x, 10x, sometimes more. The G League (NBA’s development league) runs live games on their FAST channel, and when those games are on? Viewership goes absolutely bonkers.

But here’s what makes it even better: those CPMs (what advertisers pay) shoot up too. Live sports inventory commands premium rates because advertisers know people are actually watching. Not background noise, not second-screen browsing—real, engaged eyeballs.

And unlike traditional sports rights that cost millions (or billions) of dollars, there’s a TON of sports content available that doesn’t break the bank:

• College sports (thousands of games nobody’s broadcasting)
• Minor league everything (baseball, hockey, basketball)
• International sports (cricket, rugby, handball)
• Niche sports (pickleball is HUGE right now)
• Classic games and replays
• Studio shows and analysis

Why Sports + FAST = Perfect Match

Think about how people actually watch sports:

They don’t want to hunt through 15 streaming apps trying to find the game. They want to turn it on and have it be THERE. You know, like how TV used to work? That’s exactly what FAST does. Linear, always-on, just turn it on and the game is playing.

Plus, sports fans are loyal. They’ll come back to the same channel every week. They’ll tell their friends. They’ll actually sit through commercials if it means watching their team.

For advertisers? This is the holy grail:
✅ Live viewing (not watched 3 days later)
✅ Consistent scheduling (games every week)
✅ Passionate audiences (actually care about what they’re watching)
✅ Premium inventory (can charge real money)
✅ Clear metrics (easy to track and measure)

The Advertiser Opportunity

Here’s what advertisers are figuring out: sports on FAST gives them the benefits of traditional sports advertising without the insane costs. Want to advertise during NFL games on broadcast? Good luck finding inventory, and hope you have $5 million lying around. Want to advertise during college football on a FAST channel? Totally doable, way more affordable, and you might actually reach MORE of your target audience depending on what you’re selling.

Local and regional advertisers LOVE this. A local car dealership can’t afford to advertise during the Superbowl, but they can absolutely advertise during minor league baseball games in their market. And guess what? Those viewers are actually in their area and might actually buy a car.

National brands are catching on too. Instead of paying premium rates for broad sports content, they can target specific niches:

• Energy drink brand? Advertise on extreme sports FAST channels
• Financial services? Sponsor golf content
• Fitness brand? Own the pickleball and CrossFit channels

The targeting is better, the prices are better, and the engagement is better.

What Makes Sports FAST Channels Actually Work

Not all sports FAST channels are created equal. The ones crushing it are doing a few things right:

1. Consistent Scheduling
Games at the same time every week. Viewers know when to tune in. It becomes a habit.

2. Mix of Live and Evergreen
Live games drive the spikes. Classic games and studio shows fill the gaps. You need both.

3. Community Building
The best channels create a sense of community. Fans feel like they’re part of something. Social media integration, interactive elements, fan callouts—it all matters.

4. Local/Regional Focus
People care about their local teams WAY more than distant professional leagues. Minor league baseball in your city? That’s content people will watch.

5. Niche Domination
Being the pickleball channel is better than being “another sports channel.” Own a niche, become THE destination.

The Challenges (Because Nothing’s Easy)

Look, it’s not all sunshine and dollar signs. Sports FAST channels face real challenges:

Rights and Licensing
Sports rights can be complicated. You need to make sure you actually have the rights to broadcast what you’re showing. Some leagues are easy to work with, others not so much.

Production Costs
Live sports requires actual production. Cameras, commentators, graphics, replay systems. It’s not cheap.

Ad Fill During Off-Season
What do you show when your sport isn’t in season? You need a plan.

Competition
Everyone’s figuring out that sports works. The window to establish yourself as THE channel for your niche is closing.

Technical Requirements
Live streaming requires solid infrastructure. Buffering during the game-winning shot? That’s how you lose viewers forever.

How FAST TV Helps You Make Money and Get Viewers

This is where FAST TV comes in. Most sports content owners and FAST channel operators are great at content—but struggle with two critical things: making money from it and getting people to actually watch it. That’s literally what we do: monetisation and user acquisition for FAST and CTV channels.

Monetisation: Actually Making Money From Your Sports Content

You’ve got the games. You’ve got viewers. But are you actually making money? Most sports FAST channels leave TONS of revenue on the table because:

• They can’t fill all their ad slots
• They don’t have access to premium advertisers
• Their ad tech setup is a mess
• They’re not optimising their inventory

We help you maximise revenue by:

Direct Advertiser Connections
We connect your sports inventory with advertisers actively looking for sports audiences. No intermediaries taking 50% cuts. Direct deals that pay better.

Ad Fill Optimisation
Those empty ad slots during your games? They’re burning money. We help fill them with relevant, high-paying ads so you’re not showing dead air or the same slate card 5 times.

Premium CPM Strategies
Sports inventory should command premium rates. We help you package and sell it properly so you’re getting what it’s actually worth, not bargain-basement programmatic rates.

Flexible Monetisation Models

• Traditional ad breaks during games
• Sponsor integrations (brought to you by…)
• Lower-third sponsored graphics
• Pre/post-game show sponsors
• Whatever makes sense for your content

We test what works and optimise based on real performance data.

User Acquisition: Getting People to Actually Watch

The best sports content in the world doesn’t matter if nobody knows it exists. And let’s be honest—discovery on FAST platforms is HARD. You’re competing with 1,900+ other channels.

We help you build and grow your audience through:

Platform Optimisation
Getting your channel properly featured on Roku, Samsung TV Plus, Pluto, and other platforms. Better placement = more eyeballs. We know how to work with these platforms.

Cross-Promotion Strategies
Already have an audience somewhere else? (YouTube, social media, email list?) We help convert them into FAST viewers. Most channels are terrible at this.

Marketing That Actually Works
Not expensive brand campaigns. Practical, performance-driven marketing:

• Targeted social ads to sports fans
• Partnership deals with complementary channels
• Community building around your content
• Leveraging game highlights for viral reach

Retention Tactics
Getting someone to watch once is nice. Getting them to come back every week is how you build a real channel. We help with:

• Consistent scheduling (so viewers know when to tune in)
• Content programming strategies (what to show when)
• Audience engagement (making viewers feel part of something)

Data-Driven Growth
We track what’s working:

• Which games drive the most viewers?
• Where are viewers dropping off?
• What content brings people back?
• Which acquisition channels perform best?

Then we double down on what works and cut what doesn’t.

The Sports-Specific Advantage

Here’s why sports is especially good for what we do:

Sports audiences are LOYAL. If we can get them to watch once, they’ll come back. That makes user acquisition way more effective than random entertainment content.

Sports inventory commands PREMIUM rates. That means every viewer we help you acquire is worth more than viewers on generic FAST channels.

Sports has natural engagement hooks (live games, rivalries, playoffs). We help you leverage these for growth.

For Content Owners & Sports Leagues:

You have amazing content—games, leagues, archives—but:

• You’re not making as much money as you should be
• You’re struggling to grow your audience
• The tech side feels overwhelming

For Content Owners & Sports Leagues:

You have amazing content—games, leagues, archives—but:

• You’re not making as much money as you should be
• You’re struggling to grow your audience
• The tech side feels overwhelming

We handle both the monetisation and user acquisition so you can focus on what you do best: the sports content itself.

For New Sports FAST Channels:

You’re just starting out. You have:

• Content rights or partnerships lined up
• A vision for your channel
• No idea how to actually make money or get viewers

We help you:

• Set up monetisation from day one (don’t leave money on the table)
• Build an audience strategically (not just hoping people find you)
• Scale as you grow (start small, grow big)

Why Work With Us?

Honestly? Because we’re not going to BS you with promises we can’t keep. Sports FAST is new territory. We don’t have a magic formula that guarantees success. What we DO have:

• Experience with FAST monetisation and user acquisition
• Direct relationships with advertisers looking for sports inventory
• Practical strategies that work (not theory)
• A willingness to experiment and learn together

We’re not some massive agency that will ignore you unless you’re spending millions. We work with channels at all stages—from “just getting started” to “ready to scale big.” And here’s the thing: when your channel succeeds, we succeed. We’re aligned on making this actually work.

Real Talk About What’s Possible

Can we guarantee you’ll be the next big sports network? No.

Can we help you maximise revenue from the audience you have and strategically grow that audience? Absolutely. Some channels we work with are happy making solid side income from their sports content. Others are building serious businesses. Both are wins. The sports opportunity in FAST is real. The question is: are you going to capitalize on it with a solid monetisation and user acquisition strategy, or are you going to wing it and hope for the best?

What Happens Next?

If you’re sitting on sports content or thinking about starting a sports FAST channel, now’s the time. The opportunity is real, but it won’t last forever. We’re happy to chat about your specific situation:

• What content do you have?
• What’s your current monetisation looking like?
• How are you acquiring viewers?
• What’s working and what’s not?

No pressure, no BS, just a real conversation about whether we can help. Because at the end of the day, sports FAST is exploding. You can either figure out monetisation and user acquisition on your own (good luck), or you can work with someone who’s done it before.