Moderated by Kristin Brzoznowski of World Screen, the panel included Philipp Rotermund, CEO and co-founder of wedotv; Athanasios Tsiris, SVP of Distribution and Partnerships at Free TV Networks; and Scott Olechowski, co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Plex
Day two of FAST Fest began with a Platform Perspectives panel featuring executives from independent free streaming platforms. Moderated by Kristin Brzoznowski of World Screen, the panel included Scott Olechowski, co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Plex; Athanasios Tsiris, SVP of Distribution and Partnerships at Free TV Networks; and Philipp Rotermund, CEO and co-founder of wedotv.
Tsiris of Free TV Networks noted a recent trend in the FAST platform business model: a gradual shift from revenue-sharing to flat-fee content licensing. He predicts this shift will accelerate as the market matures and advertising revenue stabilizes. Another trend he identified is collaborating with digital creators to populate FAST channels. “While licensing major studio blockbusters is valuable,” he explained, “identifying content with high return on investment and lower costs is crucial for platform success.”
Rotermund of wedotv concurred with Tsiris, observing a similar trend towards more traditional licensing agreements within the AVOD and FAST sectors. “The majority of our deals now involve paying a flat fee for a specific licensing period,” he stated.
Olechowski explained that Plex operates on various business models due to its role as a content aggregator working with diverse partners. “We engage in inventory sharing, revenue sharing, and licensing deals. Our ability to support multiple models has been advantageous for both us and our partners. With the growing user base and advertising revenue in the space, many of the guarantees we previously needed to provide are becoming less critical.”
The panelists also discussed the challenges of content discovery on platforms and explored how artificial intelligence can enhance discoverability and personalization.