Gracenote, Nielsen’s content intelligence division, has added insights about free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) to its Data Hub.
The move enables comparisons with subscription VOD (SVOD) services and aims to provide a more holistic view of the global streaming landscape.
According to Gracenote’s Q3 analysis, the number of FAST channels grew 14% from the start of 2025 to almost 1,850 — an increase of 76% since 2023.
Gracenote found that FAST channels broadly offer more recent content compared with SVOD platforms: almost half of current FAST programming was produced in the last five years, compared with nearly one-third on SVOD.
In terms of genre, documentaries accounted for the largest share on FAST at 16.1%. This was followed by drama (10.6%) and news (9.9%).
Netflix now accounts for a fifth of content on major streaming platforms
SVOD content continues to grow
For the five major SVOD platforms covered by the Data Hub (Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, Netflix and Paramount+), total content volume grew by 9.8% quarter on quarter in Q3.
Amazon held the largest share of content volume, accounting for 69%. This was followed by Netflix (19%) and Disney+ (8.6%).
Notably, Amazon was the only one of the three to boost its share in the past quarter. In fact, it grew its offering the most, up 12.6% quarter on quarter. Paramount+ was next at 6.4%.
In terms of programming type, sports accounted for the biggest growth, increasing by 29.5% (or 13.2% when looking at unique programming).
Film content grew 10%, while TV programming rose 9.2%.
The Gracenote Data Hub launched in November 2024 to provide insight into the content held by top global streaming services.
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