{"id":9503,"date":"2026-06-12T08:16:07","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T03:16:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/how-live-sports-on-fast-draws-viewers\/"},"modified":"2026-06-12T08:16:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T03:16:07","slug":"how-live-sports-on-fast-draws-viewers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/how-live-sports-on-fast-draws-viewers\/","title":{"rendered":"How Live Sports on FAST Draws Viewers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div wp_automatic_readability=\"82.565853658537\">\n<p><div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"QUjOOu3rSxQ\"><iframe title=\"How Live Sports on FAST Draws Viewers\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QUjOOu3rSxQ?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Given <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.streamingmedia.com\/Articles\/News\/Online-Video-News\/Sneak-Preview-Programming-and-Monetizing-Sports-on-FAST-174704.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"monetizing sports on fast\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">FAST\u2019s<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> traditional identification with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.streamingmedia.com\/Articles\/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=164586\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"the era of avod which metrics matter most\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">VOD<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and even legacy content, the arrival and growing success of live events, news, and especially sports have begun to change perceptions of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.streamingmedia.com\/Articles\/Editorial\/Short-Cuts\/How-FAST-Elevates-Lower-Profile-Live-Sports-175127.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"how fast elevates the profile of niche sports\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">FAST<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as a vehicle for profitable live programming. But according to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/cathy-rasenberger-3300a39\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Cathy Rasenberger of Free Live Sports\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cathy Rasenberger of Free Live Sports<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.streamingmedia.com\/Articles\/News\/Online-Video-News\/ICYMI-Streaming-Media-Connect-May-2026-174839.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"icymi Streaming Media Connect may 2026\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Streaming Media Connect 2026<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, it\u2019s often VOD content from recognizable brands that draws viewers to FAST and live content that keeps them watching.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>A Doubling of Live Content<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/chrispfaff\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Chris Pfaff of Chris Pfaff Tech Media\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chris Pfaff of Chris Pfaff Tech Media<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> opens the conversation by saying that live content dominates everything, with sports \u201creally pick[ing] up the mantle with live streaming on FAST.\u201d He asks Rasenberger to talk about <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.streamingmedia.com\/Articles\/News\/Online-Video-News\/Free-Live-Sports-Expands-Global-Footprint-Signing-7-New-Distribution-Deals-to-Bring-Its-Unparalleled-Sports-Content-to-Over-75-Million-Households-172963.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Free Live Sports\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Free Live Sports\u2019<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> branded blocks and what the company sees \u201cin terms of this remarkable sort of doubling of sports content in the last six months.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rasenberger confirms that the content <\/span><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is<\/span><\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> doubling. \u201cJust as a bit of background, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.freelivesports.tv\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Free Live Sports\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Free Live Sports<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a leading free sports streaming platform. So we aggregate content. We\u2019ve got 125 free sports channels on the platform, thousands of hours of VOD, and we\u2019re available in 75 countries. And what\u2019s interesting is we can track performance of our channels, which we do regularly to see what\u2019s driving viewership [and] spikes in viewership,\u201d she says. \u201cIn the last six months, we have seen [on] our top 20 channels [that] the amount of live content doubled on those top 20 channels. So more live content is coming into FAST every day.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Thematic Blocks to Drive Viewership\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rasenberger asserts that it\u2019s not just big events that drive viewership; when a channel adds a live option, \u201cit can spike viewership on that channel up to a hundred times.\u201d She provides the example of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/glorykickboxing.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"GLORY Kickboxing\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GLORY Kickboxing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which \u201chad a one-day live event, and their viewership went up 100%\u201499% to be accurate. But live is not the only thing that drives viewership.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another driver is thematic blocks. \u201cA channel like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.freelivesports.tv\/channel\/pfl\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"PFL\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PFL<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> really doesn\u2019t do much live content except for maybe interviews and weigh-ins. But when a live event is airing \u2026 they will do thematic blocks around athletes competing in that live event, and it\u2019s complimentary to what\u2019s on ESPN, and viewership spikes through that,\u201d Rasenberger shares.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Clear Brand Recognition Helps\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition, \u201cWe see channels with clear brand recognition attracting a lot of viewership. So a channel like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.freelivesports.tv\/channel\/sports-illustrated-tv\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"free live sports sports illustrated\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SI<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Sports Illustrated, people come in[to] because of the recognizable brand, and then they discover live content they like in a variety of different genres and they stay. But it\u2019s the brand that brings them in. That\u2019s also true for channels that just say what they are,\u201d such as for pickleball, tennis, or billiards. When fans search for these sports, they find them easily and are enticed to keep watching.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.streamingmedia.com\/Conferences\/Connect2026-August\/Default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Join us August 11\u201313, 2026 for more thought leadership, actionable insights, and lively debate at Streaming Media Connect 2026! Registration is open!\"><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Join us August 11\u201313, 2026 for more thought leadership, actionable insights, and lively debate at Streaming Media Connect 2026! Registration is open!<\/span><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"cta_magazine_subscription_wrap\">\n<div class=\"cta_magazine_subscription\">\n<div class=\"cta_magazine_subscription_img\">\n<!--            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dzceab466r34n.cloudfront.net\/Images\/SiteImages\/168775-2025-Cover-Images---April-2025-ORG.png\" alt=\"Streaming Covers\">--><br \/>\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dzceab466r34n.cloudfront.net\/Images\/SiteImages\/457665-2026-Cover-Images-ORG.png\" alt=\"Streaming Covers\"\/>\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><noscript>Please enable JavaScript to view the <a href=\"https:\/\/disqus.com\/?ref_noscript\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">comments powered by Disqus.<\/a><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n            Related Articles&#13;<br \/>\n            &#13;\n        <\/p>\n<section class=\"article_grid\" wp_automatic_readability=\"45.075326414463\">&#13;<br \/>\n    &#13;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article_grid_single\" wp_automatic_readability=\"39.266285714286\">\n<div>\n                <a id=\"MainContentPlaceHolder_ctl01_ctl00_rptArticles_lnkImageLink_0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.streamingmedia.com\/Articles\/Editorial\/Short-Cuts\/Soccers-Path-to-FAST-Profitability-175142.aspx?utm_source=related_articles&amp;utm_medium=gutenberg&amp;utm_campaign=editors_selection\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dzceab466r34n.cloudfront.net\/Images\/ArticleImages\/459328-futbols-path-to-fast-profitability-ORG.png\"\/><\/a>\n            <\/div>\n<h3>&#13;<br \/>\n                <a id=\"MainContentPlaceHolder_ctl01_ctl00_rptArticles_lnkArticleTitle_0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.streamingmedia.com\/Articles\/Editorial\/Short-Cuts\/Soccers-Path-to-FAST-Profitability-175142.aspx?utm_source=related_articles&amp;utm_medium=gutenberg&amp;utm_campaign=editors_selection\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Soccer\u2019s Path to FAST Profitability<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n                Soccer, aka football, has established a significant presence on FAST in recent years, making its first major splash with the launch of FIFA+ on Samsung TV in 2023, according to TeleGraff Media president William &#8220;Bill&#8221; Graff. 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But according to Cathy Rasenberger of Free Live Sports at Streaming Media Connect 2026, it\u2019s often VOD content from [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9505,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-live-session"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9503\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}