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LAS VEGAS — FAST channels are serving up opportunities, driving new partnerships, and helping broadcasters prepare for success with NextGen TV.
Ensuring the flow of local and on-brand content is only one of the challenges FAST channels present — innovation to aid in discoverability remains critical, industry experts said during the “FAST Channels and the Evolution of Broadcasting” panel at TVNewsCheck’s Programming Everywhere event on April 16 of the NAB Show.
While station groups have access to a lot of local content, sometimes partnerships make sense.
Marian Pittman, Cox Media Group’s EVP for content, product and innovation, said the company has started partnering with “other like-minded companies” like Scripps and has stretched resources as part of its strategy to access fresh content.
“We’ve built a mini FAST channel, sometimes with just a handshake,” she said. “Sometimes you have to figure out how to do a lot with nothing.”
Sarah Katt, SVP for programming at The Hill, said they are bringing political content together from Hill newsrooms, local stations and other assets into a national ecosystem.
But no matter where the content comes from, she said, establishing — and meeting — expectations is important for retaining viewers.
“Get that brand recognition so that what you see on the FAST channel matches what you expect for that brand,” she said.
Scott Ehrlich, chief innovation officer and head of corporate strategy at Sinclair Broadcast Group, said it’s important to understand the FAST audience and what they want. For local, he said, a lot