Two Philo Executives Talk About That Streamer’s FAST Business
Philo has always been a fascinating live TV service to me.
Before the major live TV platforms were offering a smaller bundle of channels, Philo put together a bundle of primarily entertainment live TV channels, at a cost well below what a full live TV bundle costs each month.
In the past few years, Philo has added a substantial bundle of FAST (free, ad-supported television) channels to its subscription package and has also rolled out a free TV offering that allows users to watch those FAST networks without needing to add the paid subscription tier.
I wanted to learn more about how that business worked and I recently spoke with Sarah Wong, Chief of Staff and General Manager, FAST at Philo, and Edward King, Chief Product Officer at Philo.
We discussed the quickly changing FAST market, how adding the channels has helped build Philo's paid product, as well as some of the challenges of making it all work seamlessly.
Here is an excerpt of that discussion and the full conversation can be found here.
One of the things that I’ve learned about the FAST industry is there are a several overriding challenges, one of which is just the advertising side of it. There’s a lot of repetitive ads, there are a lot of empty spots, and when I talk people who are just civilians - for lack of a better description - about FAST channels, that’s the biggest issue they have with it. “Oh, I’m looking at this commercial 18 times in a half hour.”
How do you try and tackle that with Philo’s FAST offerings? And I know it's not all on you, it's a partnership with the people who are running the channels.
Edward King: We’re doing a lot of work right now, but it drives me crazy personally and it's a problem in the industry. Unfortunately, the way the ad insertion works, we're getting ads from lots of different places and they don't clearly identify what are the same creatives.
And one of the most common problems we see is when there’ll be two ads that look almost identical, but they’ll be slightly different. So there’ll be one that’s maybe like a 15-second version and another that’s a 30-second version, and they don't tell us this is the same creative.
So they both come in, and all of these systems are automated. To the systems, they look like different ads and then they end up being played in the same pod.
What we’re currently doing to try and fix that is using AI to actually look at those ads and identify that these two ads, even though they say they’re different ads, they’re actually the same ad. It might be 15 seconds and 30 seconds, but it’s the same scenes, the shots in the ads are identical, it's the same product and everything else.
So I’m hoping fairly soon we'll be able to use the new AI computer vision techniques to like identify those ads and remove them. And then you'll see less of the competitive, repetitive ads.
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We Might Have To Get A Little Less Fandom-y
I think we’ve all experienced situations where the line between fans and the works they worship can overlap a bit too much. Mo Drammeh takes a look at how consumerism and fandom can get confused, leading to a lot of very inappropriate behavior:
There is nothing wrong with anyone in fandom spaces. Well, actually, there's something deeply wrong with all of us, but there's nothing particularly wrong with anyone in fandom spaces. Consumerism is a force which guides the way we interact with much of American life. It is hardly the fault of the individuals who are, themselves, shaped by capital relations, that their actions are also shaped by capital relations.
I do not mean to claim some moral authority over people who I think are reading books weird. What I want to do is simply point out that the way a lot of us are discussing literature online isn’t working. It doesn’t get us any closer to understanding the art, it doesn’t produce interesting and productive discussion, and it doesn’t even focus on the art itself. If we want to center ourselves in appreciating art, we need to look beyond ourselves and, for the first time, actually appreciate the thing in front of us, and not the thing we want it to be.
Odds & Sods
TNT Sports, the UK pay-TV broadcaster owned by media giant Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) will not provide the showpiece finals of European soccer body UEFA’s trio of club competitions on free-to-air television this year, breaking a tradition spanning back to the establishment of the competition in 1992.
Season three of The Capture will premiere Thursday, June 18th on Peacock.
Season three of America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders premieres Tuesday, June 16th on Netflix. Here is the official logline: “From Emmy Award–winning director Greg Whiteley, the fan-favorite series returns for Season 3 and the stakes have never been higher. This season follows the 2025–26 squad from high-pressure auditions and training camp all the way through the NFL season, continuing to offer candid, behind-the-scenes access to one of sports’ most iconic teams. With thirty veterans returning to auditions, only six coveted spots remain for hopeful newcomers, raising the bar for talent. As the DCC's global profile grows, the women at the center of it must handle a new level of attention. With incredible opportunities—the first DCC tour, marquee appearances, and growing social media platforms—comes heightened scrutiny and demand for perfection. Against the backdrop of stadium performances and viral moments, the team leans on each other to navigate the spotlight and define their DCC legacies.”
A new season of Love It Or List It will premiere Tuesday, June 23rd on HGTV.
I am not generally a huge rom-com person, but when I see one I like, I really like it. And at least on this trailer, I can’t wait to see the Netflix original film Voicemails for Isabelle, which premieres Friday, June 19th.
The stand-up special Jeff Foxworthy: The Joke’s On Me premieres Monday, June 1st on Fox Nation.
If You Like Nordic Noir, Don’t Miss Out On ‘Black Sands’
I enjoy highlighting shows that might not be on your radar, and when it comes to Viaplay, it’s likely not a streaming service that most of you are subscribed to right now. It’s available on Amazon Channels, Roku, Comcast and a few other places. But I think it’s fair to say that it isn’t as well known as it should be in the U.S.
Viaplay is a huge Nordic media company and streaming platform that has struggled with some financial setbacks in recent years. Its licensed off some original programs, cut back on the number of countries where it’s a stand-alone app and was forced to sell off part of the company to survive.
But it continues to be the go-to destination for the best original programming coming out of the Nordic countries. And that includes documentaries, comedies, sports specials as well as dramas of all genres.
Black Sands falls into the category of show you most likely think of when you hear the phrase “Nordic Noir.” It’s a moody, sometimes bordering on depressing story that at the heart of it is about generational trauma and the painful lessons of coming to grips with who people really are.
Aldis Amah Hamilton (who also co-wrote the show) plays a troubled police officer reluctantly returning to her hometown after 15 years. She’s dealing with the aftermath of an ill-advised affair with a married officer and dreads returning back to her childhood home and her not-so-maternal mother.
Before she can even get into town, she’s called to the scene of what looks like an accident. A young woman who appears to have fallen from a tall cliff. But when a witness appears to contradict that narrative, it opens up the possibility that a serial killer might be involved.
The first half of season one plays out somewhat as expected, but the show takes some unexpected twists in the back half’s worth of episodes, leading to a pretty shocking finale. Season two (which premiered in the U.S. last week) takes place 18 months after season one and heads off into an even more unexpected direction.
It took me a couple of episodes to really get into the show, but Hamilton is just fabulous and it’s worth watching just to see the range she displays across the two seasons.
I am a big fan of Viaplay’s unique mix of programs and if you are looking to see what you’re missing, Black Sands is a good place to start.
What’s Coming Tonight And Tomorrow
TUESDAY, MAY 19TH, 2026:
American Masters: W.E.B. DuBois: Rebel With A Cause (PBS)
Baylen Out Loud Season Premiere (TLC)
Forever Young: A Grammy Salute To Rod Stewart Live (CBS)
In The City Series Premiere (Bravo)
The Secret Of Skinwalker Ranch Season Premiere (History)
Wanda Sykes: Legacy (Netflix)
WEDNESDAY, MAY 20TH, 2026:
Carizzma Series Premiere (Netflix)
Desi Bling Series Premiere (Netflix)
Jack Ryan: Ghost War (Prime Video)
Kylie (Netflix)
Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed Series Premiere (Apple TV)