Amagi Report Finds Applied AI Moving Into Core Media Workflows; FAST Viewing Rises 21%

March 2026 Airtime Report from Amagi highlights applied AI adoption across media workflows and sustained global FAST momentum

Applied AI is accelerating across media operations, while Global FAST (Free Ad-supported Streaming TV) viewership and ad monetization continued their double-digit growth in Q4 2025, according to the March 2026 edition of the Amagi Airtime Report: Special Edition – AI in Media Operations.

The report finds that global Hours of Viewing (HOV) across FAST grew 21% year-over-year in Q4 2025, while ad impressions rose 27% during the same period. The analysis is based on approximately 4,200 FAST channel deliveries distributed via Amagi’s THUNDERSTORM server-side ad insertion (SSAI) platform. (Overall, Amagi manages 9,000+ channel deliveries as indicated in the FY2025-26 Q3 earnings call).

While FAST continues to scale globally, the report’s central theme focuses on the accelerating adoption of applied AI across media operations. Based on a survey of 50 broadcast and streaming leaders evaluating 20 end-to-end content operations tasks, respondents identified the strongest AI impact potential in high-volume, information-driven workflows such as metadata enrichment, context tagging, subtitling and translation, and social content publishing. The report features exclusive conversations with Brian Briskman, Co-Founder and Consultant at Likewise Media Consultants, and Cam Price, Co-Founder of LeadStory.

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“The industry is entering a phase where AI is no longer just about experimentation — it’s about embedding intelligence directly into operational workflows,” said Srinivasan KA, Co-founder and President – Global Business. “Media companies that integrate applied AI across ingest, localization, scheduling, and monetization will unlock meaningful gains in speed, efficiency, and scalability.”

The report emphasizes that AI’s greatest value emerges when it moves beyond isolated tools and becomes native to content workflows — dynamically flagging QC exceptions, triggering localization, resolving rights compliance, and identifying monetization opportunities in real time.

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According to the report, FAST maintained growth across all major regions in Q4 2025 compared to Q4 2024.

• LATAM: 66% HOV growth; 77% ad impression growth
• APAC: 23% HOV growth; 43% ad impression growth
• EMEA: 22% HOV growth; 43% ad impression growth
• U.S. & Canada: 17% HOV growth; 22% ad impression growth

The U.S. & Canada continue to account for the largest share of global FAST HOV and ad impressions, though international markets are steadily gaining share. Genre trends remained consistent, with Entertainment and News ranking as the top two categories globally. New channels launched after December 2024 contributed 18% of global HOV and 16% of global ad impressions in the quarter, underscoring continued platform expansion and content diversification.

The report concludes that applied AI may represent the next structural shift in media operations — potentially as transformative as streaming was to distribution.