The strange state of sports on FAST TV

Sports are keeping legacy television afloat. Is free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) the next frontier for sports?

Sports Business Journal recently published the top 200 most-watched telecasts during 2025. Sports accounted for 181 of the top 200, and this figure does not include events lasting less than 30 minutes.

Sports’ dominance on live television has continued amid cord-cutting. In just the last year, according to Nielsen’s Gauge, the share of TV consumed via streaming surpassed broadcast and cable for the first time.

Very slowly, sports have begun incorporating FAST streaming services for live coverage. According to Nielsen, approximately 6% of television consumption in November 2025 came through these services. Roku and Tubi account for the vast majority of that consumption, at roughly 5%, followed by Pluto TV, Samsung TV, Xumo, Vizio, and Plex.

Across these different FAST distributors, there are currently about 18 channels that air live sports. These channels vary widely in both their distribution and content quality. Higher-quality channels such as CBS Sports Golazo Network, Victory+, and the Roku Sports Channel air well-known professional sports, whereas lower-tier channels such as FanDuel TV Extra focus on lesser-followed sports such as darts.

Fox’s Tubi streaming service has seemingly aired the most well-known sports. Twice — this Thanksgiving and during last year’s Super Bowl — Tubi simulcast Fox’s NFL coverage without the need for a cable login. However, Tubi has been much more aggressive in live sports outside the United States, particularly in Mexico.

Tubi’s Mexico operations, however, do not necessarily speak to the long-term future of FAST sports. Tubi acquired the rights to the Premier League and certain Liga MX clubs in Mexico after the previous rights holder, the independently owned Fox Sports, was unable to make its payments. After a few months of being available on Tubi, Fox acquired the paid streaming service Caliente TV and moved the vast majority of its live sports— excluding lower-watched properties such as Liga MX Femenil—to the paid platform now simply called Fox.

This story can be seen, to a lesser extent, in the United States. One of the first true sports FAST networks was Campus Insiders, a college sports–focused streaming network launched in the early 2010s. At its peak, Campus Insiders streamed more than 3,000 events per season through agreements with the Mountain West Conference, the Patriot League, the West Coast Conference, and the Arizona Bowl.

That success was short-lived. In 2017, the network was merged with the Sinclair Broadcast Group–owned American Sports Network, a minor over-the-air sports network, to form Stadium. Despite being both an over-the-air network and a streaming service — and even holding the primary television rights to Conference USA — the network never found its footing. Sinclair sold its stake in 2023, ending its over-the-air coverage. Live sports coverage on Stadium is now quite limited, headlined by Minor League Baseball and the Savannah Bananas, along with smaller football and combat sports leagues.

The reality for FAST appears to be that there is simply not enough awareness of these services to make them worthwhile for live sports. Major League Baseball is leaving its streaming deal with the free Roku Sports Channel a year early to move those games to the much more established Peacock. The NHL’s Dallas Stars on Victory+ originally scheduled zero games to air on traditional television, but announced at the end of the 2024–25 season that four games would be simulcast on local networks. This year, the Stars announced a package of 17 games to simulcast on local networks.

The problem with FAST lies in both visibility and economics. FAST networks must reach individual agreements with FAST distributors if they want to be seen by the full six percent of viewers who regularly consume FAST television. That small audience makes profitability difficult, as advertisers are unwilling to pay competitive television rates for FAST-level viewership.

FAST companies have hoped that agreements with Major League Baseball and National Hockey League teams would drive audiences to FAST platforms, but that does not appear to be the case. For now, the strongest argument for FAST deals appears to be emerging or non-traditional leagues—such as soccer or women’s volleyball—that do not yet have a consistent presence on traditional television.

More advertising for these networks would certainly help. CBS, NBC, and FOX all operate FAST sports networks, with CBS Sports’ offerings likely the most well-known. But the average American likely has no idea that NBC Sports NOW or Fox Sports on Tubi even exist, and even CBS Sports HQ and the CBS Sports Golazo Network remain relatively niche.

Much will need to change over the next few years to make channel surfing for sports on FAST television worthwhile. Still, the ease of access for these networks remains appealing. It is not out of the question that the right show or live sports event on FAST, breaking through at the right time, could become a game-changer.