It’s true: people like leaving their TVs on in the background
The rise of free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) seems to have little to do with what’s playing — and more like how it’s playing. Metrics compiled by Bloomberg suggest that people really do just like to leave their TVs running in the background while working around the house or scrolling through social media.
As shown in the below chart from Bloomberg, viewers are spending more time watching Tubi, the FAST service owned by Fox, than Max, Peacock, and Paramount Plus. Tubi’s viewership has spiked within the past year, accounting for 1 percent of time spent watching TV in February 2023 to 1.7 percent in February 2024. It may even shoot past Disney Plus if the trend continues, Bloomberg reports.