Thanks to the wide range of streaming devices available, many users have abandoned satellite channels in favor of a wireless setup at home. Whether you want to watch live TV channels, TV shows and movies on demand, or PPV (Pay-Per-View) events, numerous streaming services can get the job done.

However, most VOD (video-on-demand) services like Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, Sling TV, YouTube TV, Paramount+, Peacock TV, and FuboTV are prepaid options. Your credit card bill can skyrocket if you subscribe to too many streaming options. This is where the concept of FAST services comes into play.

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What is FASTTV?

FAST TV, often referred to as free, ad-supported streaming television, is a category of streaming services with no paid plans or subscriptions. These services rely on advertising revenue to provide free content to users. FAST services offer the same content as other paid services, but with ads. You also don’t get access to PPV events, DVR storage, and other perks you typically get on Hulu, FuboTV, Paramount, and others.

If you are on a tight budget and don’t mind a few ads here and there, try these FAST services. It’s a win-win situation for both the provider and the consumer. You get to access on-demand content and live TV channels for free, while the provider gets more advertising revenue due to the increase in users and can cover the costs of licensing and streaming the content.

Now that you have a good overview of FAST services and their business model, let’s take a quick look at the best options for your Smart TV platform.

PlutoTV

Paramount’s Pluto TV is one of the best FAST services. Pluto TV struck a deal with Hulu in 2015 to stream popular shows from ABC, NBC, and Fox on its platform. It offers live TV channels, on-demand content, and more in various categories.

The library received a huge boost when Viacom (Paramount’s parent company) purchased Pluto TV, buying all CBS Universe content from networks like Paramount Pictures, BET, Comedy Central MTV and others. Pluto TV has over 80 million monthly users and apps across all smart TV platforms.

Freestream carrying strap

While Sling TV offers some paid plans, the company also offers a free streaming service called Sling Freestream. You can watch over 335 channels and 40,000 TV shows and movies on demand. It’s different from Sling TV and you don’t have to pay anything to get started.

Sling Freestream is available through the main Sling TV app. You can upgrade to Sling Orange or Sling Blue to unlock more premium content on your device.

Tube

Fox’s Tubi is another popular option among cable TV refuseniks. In addition to old movies and TV shows, you’ll also find content from leading broadcasters like Fox Network, Paramount, MGM, and Lionsgate. While Tubi’s user base is smaller than Pluto TV’s, the company recently undertook a major internal restructuring that confirms Fox’s commitment to FAST.

Xumo game

Owned by Comcast and Charter, Xumo Play is the FAST version of Xumo. It’s available on the LG Channels service, the Xumo Stream Box, and inexpensive Hisense TVs. While it can’t match Pluto TV and Tubi in terms of content library, it still offers a decent content library of free live TV channels, TV shows, movies, and more.

Lend

NBCUniversal’s Fandango Media bought Vudu from Walmart in 2020. It’s not winning any awards in terms of content, but you can still give it a try as old TV shows and movies are available on the platform. For more content, Vudu recommends a subscription to NBC Network’s paid Peacock TV streaming service. In addition to classic TV, Vudu offers BBC hits, concerts, documentaries, and movies in various categories like horror, romance, suspense, drama, crime, action, and more.

Plex

Plex is your all-in-one streaming partner for watching movies, shows, live TV, and more. It also has a rental section where you can buy trending movies. Although Plex is best known for streaming media on your local network, it recently entered the FAST market. FAST channels are also not tied to a paid Plex Pass subscription. It offers over 50,000 titles, over 600 live TV channels, and more in an intuitive interface. The Watch Together feature lets you stream your favorite shows with your family members around the world.

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FAST services from device manufacturers

Now let’s look at some of the FAST services that leading TV manufacturers bundle on their sets.

Amazon Freevee

Available in the US, UK, Germany and Austria, Amazon’s Freevee offers a massive library of content to stream for free. All you need is an Amazon account to get started. Freevee is tightly integrated with Amazon’s Fire TV line of devices. It offers thousands of movies, TV shows, Freevee Originals and live entertainment channels across all smart platforms. Some popular titles include mad Men, My name is Early, Secondary schooland more.

Samsung TV Plus

Like LG, Samsung offers the Samsung TV Plus service on its TVs, Galaxy phones and tablets. It offers a significant number of live TV channels, TV shows and movies. You don’t need a Samsung account to get started. You can set reminders, mark favourite channels and create watchlists.

The Roku Channel

Roku offers some of the best streaming devices. Although the Roku Store is jam-packed with all the paid channels, the company’s Roku Channel is growing in popularity with over 350 channels, Roku Originals, and an option to rent and buy popular TV shows and movies. Unlike other services, the Roku Channel is available on Samsung Smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV, and the web. It’s one of the best ways to stream local channels for free on your Roku device.

LG Channels

LG has partnered with Xumo to offer over 100 free channels on its webOS-based TV lineup. If you have an LG TV running webOS 3.5 or later, you can stream your favorite news and entertainment channels for free in the standard LG channel section.

Likewise, Vizio and TCL offer WatchFree+ and TCL Channel respectively. Other popular FAST services include Crackle, Redbox, ITVX, Flixhouse, Herogo TV, Mometu and more.

Revolutionize your TV experience

As you can see from the list above, there is no shortage of FAST TV services. Plus, they are official apps that you can easily download from your smart TV’s app store. Google TV remains the most popular smart TV operating system among these smart TV platforms. If you have a smart TV from Sony, Sansui, TCL, HiSense or any other Google TV partner, check out our top tips and tricks to get the most out of it.