In the increasingly crowded FAST market, relying solely on the traditional 30-second pre-roll is no longer a viable strategy. To uncover how platforms are driving higher CPMs and creating valuable new inventory, David Purdy, Chief Revenue Officer at Stingray, moderated a powerhouse panel of industry experts at TVOT Montreal 2026.
 

The consensus? To maximize revenue per hour, platforms must evolve their monetization strategies, embrace new technologies, and above all, protect the viewer experience.
 

Here are the key takeaways for unlocking hidden revenue in FAST.
 

Moving beyond the 30-second spot

While the traditional 30-second video ad remains the foundation of video revenue, the landscape is shifting. JF Cote, Board Member at Equativ, noted that younger generations simply won’t wait for long ad breaks, driving a necessary evolution toward 15-second and 6-second spots.
 

To combat CPM pressure, platforms are testing immersive, non-traditional formats. Stefan Van Engen, VP of Content Programming and Partnerships at Xumo, highlighted the success of “pause ads”, highly intentional, full-screen advertisements that trigger when a viewer pauses video-on-demand content, which are currently driving premium CPMs. Garrett Winkler, Head of LG Channels (US and Canada), added that LG is actively testing interactivity solutions, squeezebacks, and overlays to deliver premium experiences without disrupting the content.
 

 

Combating commoditization with data and Agent AI

With major players like Amazon and Netflix flooding the market with ad supply, inventory is rapidly becoming a commodity, driving prices down in programmatic auctions. To counter this, platforms must sell more than just ad slots.
 

Van Engen emphasized the need to scale direct sales teams to sell specific audiences, genres, and data layers, rather than just relying on automated auctions to fill in the cracks. Looking ahead, Cote pointed to Agent AI as the next evolution of media buying—where AI agents on the buy-side communicate directly with sell-side software to purchase the exact right audience data at the right time. As Winkler noted, delivering this kind of hyper-personalization at scale will absolutely require AI.
 

Engagement first, revenue second

It can be tempting to maximize short-term revenue by increasing ad loads, but the panel warned against this trap. Van Engen stressed that his team’s primary KPIs are time spent viewing and engagement, not just revenue per hour. “We could jam pre-roll in front of everything,” he explained, “but if that causes 60% of the audience to bounce, the platform loses out on all future engagement.” Cote echoed this sentiment perfectly: “If you lose the audience, you lose everything. The right balance is yield management.”
 

 

The next 24 months: bundling and branded entertainment

When asked to look into the future, the panelists predicted significant shifts in how content is packaged and funded. Winkler foresees a strong move toward bundling and hybrid services, breaking down the silos between SVOD, TVOD, and FAST to create a seamless OS experience for the user.
 

Meanwhile, Van Engen predicts a massive rise in branded entertainment within the FAST ecosystem. Rather than just buying traditional ad space, he expects brands to get directly involved in funding and integrating with the free content itself, much like they do in traditional television.
 

Ultimately, unlocking hidden revenue in the FAST ecosystem isn’t just about finding new places to put ads, it’s about leveraging data, embracing innovative formats, and ensuring that the viewer’s experience always remains the top priority.