Gracenote Counts 2,172 Global FAST Channels as News and Sports Expand

The global free ad-supported streaming television market reached 2,172 channels in July 2026, a 17.5% increase from nearly 1,850 a year earlier, according to Gracenote data reported by The Desk on August 20. The expansion was not evenly distributed: The United States remained the largest market tracked, with 1,442 FAST channels, but its 9.4% year-over-year increase trailed growth of 21.3% in the United Kingdom, 21.5% in Germany and 23.3% in Canada. (thedesk.net)

Gracenote, Nielsen’s content-intelligence business, found that entertainment remained FAST’s largest channel category, increasing 19.7% to 395 channels. Sports ranked second with 264 channels, up 13.8%. News and commentary recorded the fastest growth among the major genres, climbing 52.9% to 211 channels. Those figures show that FAST expansion is being driven not only by general-entertainment outlets but also by programming associated with timely or event-based viewing. (gracenote.com)

The sports data reveal a more significant change beneath the channel count. Unique sports program titles increased 31.2% year over year, while the number of individual games and events distributed through FAST rose 37.5%. Sports programming also appeared on 20 channels that Gracenote did not classify as dedicated sports outlets. The result is a broader supply of sports programming spread across both specialty channels and mixed-genre schedules, rather than growth being limited to newly launched sports channels. (gracenote.com)

Across FAST, total video distribution—including programs, episodes and movies—increased 18.6%. TV program titles rose 19.4%, while Gracenote counted more than 225,000 titles across global FAST channels. The company’s quarterly Data Hub draws from Gracenote Global Video Data and also tracks Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Disney+, HBO Max, Netflix and Paramount+. (thedesk.net)

ConsumerEXP analysis: The distribution implications extend beyond the headline channel total. FAST operators, programmers and advertisers must increasingly evaluate the depth, freshness and genre mix of schedules—not merely how many channels a platform carries. Faster international growth also indicates that future FAST distribution and advertising opportunities may become less concentrated in the United States, while rising sports and news inventories could strengthen FAST’s role in attracting audiences accustomed to scheduled television.