The free service could compete more directly with rivals like Tubi and Pluto
JB Perrette, CEO and president of streaming and gaming at Warner Bros. Discovery, explained:
Ad-supported freetelevisionService (FAST for short), will be very different from what it offers on its premium SVOD service.
In addition, there is a library of more than 100,000 TV episodes across all Warner Bros. Discovery networks.
Even so, JB Perrette told analysts that it might make more sense to put some content on a free streaming service than to keep it on a premium subscription.
It’s important to point out that Warner Bros. Discovery isn’t the first to do this. Other major media competitors already have their place in the exploding FAST market.
For example, Fox owns Tubi and Paramount owns Pluto TV. Amazon has Freevee, Comcast has Xumo, and Roku has The Roku Channel.
But one of Warner Bros.’ big selling points compared to its competitors is its high-quality HBO content.
Even if the FAST service doesn’t include any of HBO’s new shows, it’s obviously great to just relive the first season of Game of Thrones for fans.
It is reported that to this day, “Game of Thrones” is still one of the most pirated shows in the world. The series ended three years ago, but pirates are still pushing hard for a higher illegal download record.
Warner Bros. Discovery doesn’t make a penny for piracy, but countless potential viewers may still be attracted to ad-supported programming that can be watched for free without registration, which in turn converts to a paid subscription.
