Yahoo Sports Joins the FAST Channel Rush

Sports streaming is fragmenting. Between the coming launch of ESPN's eponymous streamer, the sports rights land grab splintering the ecosystem, and an expanding cohort of betting platforms, fans can already graze across dozens of digital networks. Now, Yahoo is adding another option. On Wednesday, the company launched the Yahoo Sports Network, a 24/7 free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel that will host more than 60 hours of original programming each week. Backed by C15 Studio, the new channel will debut on LG Channels and Sling Freestream before expanding to Samsung TV Plus, Prime Video, Roku, Plex, Fire TV, and Fubo. It will also live on yahoosports.tv, a newly built hub for Yahoo Sports video. The launch reflects the increasing popularity of both video and sports content, according to Yahoo Media president Ryan Spoon. More than half of Yahoo's shows launched within the past 18 months, part of a larger ramp-up in the company's video business. Watch time for Yahoo Sports on YouTube is up tenfold year over year, Spoon said. For the publisher, which was acquired by the private equity firm Apollo Global Management four years ago, the rollout is the latest in a series of new products designed to capitalize on its wide distribution and brand equity. Why Yahoo Is Getting in Now For Yahoo, the timing was a byproduct of both audience scale and opportunity, Spoon said. The publisher had spent recent years building original programming and sports reporting. In October, for instance, it launched a combat sports franchise called Uncrowned in a bid to cash in on the rising interest in sports like WWE and boxing. “Two years ago we had just a few hours of fantasy-focused programming,” Spoon said. “Today we’re delivering 60-plus hours a week across sports and formats. We now have the volume and quality to be where fans want to watch.” The decision also reflects the growing interest in FAST channels, which have become particularly compelling to consumers as subscription-based services continue to raise prices. In May, the FAST platforms Pluto, Roku, and Tubi accounted for 5.7% of total TV viewing, larger than any individual broadcast network that month, according to Nielsen. This increase in demand has in part led to the rise in prices, according to Seth Hargrave, chief executive of Media Two Interactive. “We’ve seen significant increases in cost for premium CTV inventory over the past year,” Hargrave said. “Demand is outpacing supply, and it’s only expected to grow by double digits.” By adding inventory that sits at the intersection of two popular categories, sports content and free TV, the channel is poised to tap into a readymade audience of consumers and advertisers. Building on a Fantasy Base The launch also serves as an extension of Yahoo Sports’ core editorial model, which is to build commentary and analysis programming around sporting tentpoles, rather than pursue the rights to air the games themselves. The network lineup reflects that approach: live shows like "Yahoo Sports Daily," "The Ariel Helwani Show," and "Yahoo Fantasy Forecast" anchor the channel, while taped series such as "Football 301" and "The Kevin O’Connor Show" expand into analysis across sports. Yahoo has also partnered with Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman's Boardroom media company, and is set to debut a new series "Network with Rich Kleiman" in September. This strategy keeps costs down while still tapping into the same fanbase as live coverage. “We’re not broadcasting live games,” Spoon said. “Our strategy is to be the content, education, and analysis around the game.” The company also has the benefit of owning one of the longest-standing fantasy sports audiences online. That consistent user base makes the economics of live programming more predictable during football season. “Other sports may not be as lucrative in terms of scale, but this is a launch that provides less risk and a greater potential upside for them,” Hargrave said. For advertisers, the FAST launch also opens up new inventory at a time when premium sports slots are increasingly scarce. Yahoo can sell ads directly or through its platform partners, with brands like Toyota already integrated into shows. But competition is fierce. Legacy players like Disney-owned ESPN can crank out content at scale. Sportsbooks such as DraftKings and FanDuel are building media ecosystems that combine content with betting. And independent creators command fragmented but loyal fanbases. “Sports coverage as a whole is becoming more and more fragmented,” Hargrave said. “This only adds to the mix. However, the demand from the audience is there.”

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Yahoo Sports Joins the FAST Channel Rush

The new network will lean on fantasy sports, original programming, and ad demand for CTV

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Mark Stenberg

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