A step-by-step guide for broadcasters and content owners: rights, hours, files, metadata, ad breaks and the 24/7 schedule that turn a library into a channel.
Updated October 2026 | By Sampath Mallidi, CEO of Revidd
To turn a video library into a FAST channel, you pick the titles you have the rights to stream on a linear, ad-supported channel, get their files and metadata ready, mark the ad breaks, arrange the titles into a 24/7 schedule, and play that schedule out as a channel with a program guide. The library already exists. The work is rights, preparation and scheduling, not new production.
TL;DR: Start with rights, not genres. Keep only titles you can run on a free, ad-supported linear channel in the countries you want to reach. Check that you have enough hours: Wurl's own FAQ says a FAST channel typically needs at least 200 hours of video for a 24/7 schedule. Clean up titles, descriptions and artwork, because the program guide is built from that metadata. Mark ad breaks with SCTE-35 for your ad partners. Then build the schedule, set backup content, and launch the channel in your own apps first. Third-party FAST services such as Samsung TV Plus or Pluto TV each need their own distribution deal.
This guide is for broadcasters, TV stations, studios and content owners who have years of programming sitting in on-demand storage and want it working as a channel. If you are still deciding what kind of channel to build, start with our FAST channel content strategy guide. This page covers the operational path from library to live channel.
Why turn a video library into a FAST channel?
A FAST channel puts library content in front of viewers who do not browse on-demand catalogs. A title that gets few on-demand plays can still fill a slot in a themed block, without commissioning anything new. FAST stands for free ad-supported streaming TV. Viewers tune in to a channel and watch what is on, the same way they watch broadcast TV, and the operator earns money from the ads in each break.
FAST is not a fit for every library. Content that only works on demand (short clips with no common thread, titles with tight rights windows, or programs that need context to make sense) is harder to schedule. The steps below help you find out which part of your library is ready.
How do you know if your library is big enough for a FAST channel?
Add up the hours you can actually air, not the hours you own. A FAST channel runs around the clock, so a thin library repeats quickly and viewers notice. Wurl, a FAST distribution company, puts the baseline in its Global FAST Pass FAQ: "To launch a FAST channel, you'll typically need at least 200 hours of video content to support a 24/7 programming schedule" (wurl.com, checked October 16, 2026).
Treat that as a working floor, not a rule. Wurl's same FAQ adds: "Specific requirements may vary depending on the genre, target markets, and streamer expectations." What matters is usable hours after the rights filter, not the total size of the archive.
If you come up short, you have three options:
Narrow the theme. One focused channel with enough hours beats two thin ones.
Add live windows. A recurring live show, game or service can anchor part of the schedule.
Plan acquisitions. License or produce enough to fill the gaps before launch.
To get a quick read on your own catalog, the free Content Library Analyzer takes a spreadsheet of your titles and shows hours by genre, titles by runtime, rights windows and metadata gaps. Your file stays in your browser.
What should you check before a title goes on the channel?
Run every title through the same readiness check. A title that fails one row is not ready yet.
Check | What to look for | Why it matters on FAST |
|---|---|---|
Rights | Linear and ad-supported streaming rights, for the countries you plan to reach, with end dates you know | A title without linear AVOD rights cannot air, no matter how good it is |
Music and third-party clearances | Licensed music, archive footage and talent terms that cover streaming | Clearances written for broadcast or home video may not cover a FAST channel |
Video files | A clean, complete master with no burned-in old channel logos, countdown clocks or dated promos | Viewers see the file exactly as it is, all day, every day |
Ad break points | Natural pauses where a break will not cut a scene in half | Break placement shapes both viewer experience and ad revenue |
Metadata | Title, episode and season, a short description, genre, rating and runtime | The program guide and in-app pages are built from it |
Artwork | Images in the sizes your apps and partners ask for | Missing art makes a channel look unfinished in the guide |
Captions and audio | Subtitle files and any extra audio tracks you want to offer | Accessibility, and reach with multilingual audiences |
How do you prepare the files and metadata?
Most of the effort in a library-to-FAST project goes here. Old masters often carry things a channel cannot use: slates, color bars, black at the start, end cards that point to a broadcast slot that no longer exists. Trim them, or note them so they are skipped in the schedule.
Then fix the metadata. Every title needs a clear name, a description that makes sense on its own, the right episode and season numbers, a genre and a runtime. On a FAST channel, the program guide pulls from this data, so a missing description becomes a blank line in front of every viewer who checks what is on.
If your library lives across several systems, consolidate it before you schedule. On Revidd, the media library holds movies, episodes, seasons, series and collections, with multi-audio tracks and subtitles, in one CMS. Revidd's team also helps you plan the move of your library and metadata from your current platform.
Where should ad breaks go when you convert library content?
Put breaks at natural pauses: act breaks, segment changes and the points where the original broadcast had commercials. Many older TV programs were edited for broadcast breaks, so the break points already exist. Films and long-form documentaries need more care, because a break in the wrong place cuts a scene in half.
Once you know the break points, they need to be signaled in the stream. FAST channels use SCTE-35 markers to tell ad partners where a break starts and how long it runs. Our guide to SCTE-35 explains how the markers work.
Two practical rules:
Keep break length consistent with your ad plan. Decide how long each break is, and set it the same way across the schedule.
Have filler ready. When an ad partner does not fill the whole break, something has to play. Promos for your own programming are the usual answer.
For how breaks turn into revenue, see how FAST channels make money.
How do you build the 24/7 schedule from a library?
Turn the cleaned, cleared library into blocks, then arrange the blocks into a day and a week. A working sequence:
Group titles into blocks. Sort by theme, series, era, host or genre. Each group becomes a block you can reuse.
Anchor the best blocks at fixed times. Put your strongest programming where your audience is most likely to watch, and keep it at the same time each day or week.
Fill the rest with deeper archive. Overnight and off-peak slots are where less-watched titles earn their keep.
Save recurring blocks as playlists. A saved playlist can drop into many days without rebuilding it.
Copy a strong day or week forward. Then swap titles so regular viewers do not see the same week twice.
Set backup content. Assign a backup playlist so the channel plays something on-brand if a scheduled item fails or ends early.
Check the guide. Make sure the program guide matches the schedule in every time zone you serve.
Refresh on a cycle. Wurl's FAQ notes that platforms expect ongoing content refreshes, often monthly or quarterly. Plan new titles and rotations on that kind of rhythm.
Have a library and want to see it as a channel? Book a Revidd demo and bring a list of your titles. We will walk through how it maps onto a 24/7 schedule.
Should you convert the whole library or only selected titles?
Start with selected titles. Pick the part of the library with clear rights, clean files and a strong theme, and launch one channel with it.
Add the rest in stages. As you clear more rights and fix more metadata, titles can join the rotation, fill a second themed channel, or stay on demand where they perform better. The same library can feed on-demand rows, a FAST channel and paid offers at the same time.
Where can a library-based FAST channel play?
There are two places a FAST channel can run, and they work differently.
Your own apps. You launch the channel inside your branded apps on connected TVs, mobile and web. You control the schedule, the brand and the ad partners. This is the simplest place to start, because you only need your own platform and apps.
Third-party FAST services. Samsung TV Plus, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Tubi and others carry channels from outside providers. Each service sets its own requirements and needs its own distribution agreement. Some content owners work with distribution companies for this. Wurl describes its Global FAST Pass as "the industry's trusted platform for launching, distributing, and monetizing FAST channels" (wurl.com, checked October 16, 2026).
Many content owners do both: their own channel in their own apps, plus distribution deals where they make sense. For a closer look at the third-party route, see our guide to FAST channel distribution on Samsung TV Plus, Pluto TV and Roku.
How does Revidd turn a library into a FAST channel?
Revidd runs on-demand video, live events and 24/7 FAST channels from one CMS, so the library you already stream on demand is the same library that feeds your channel. Revidd's own product page calls the flow "FAST Channels From Library to Screen":
Asset ingestion. Upload once to the media library, ready to schedule.
Linear scheduling. Build 24/7 schedules in the FAST Program Manager, with drag-and-drop timelines, daily and weekly program views, time-zone-aware scheduling, schedule validation, and copy and repeat scheduling.
Playout. Cloud playout with a Rescue Playlist that fills gaps when scheduled content fails or ends early, and an Ad Filler Playlist for break time.
Ad breaks. SCTE-35 markers for your ad partners, with control over the length of each break.
EPG. A program guide generated from your schedule, across your apps and time zones. Schedule changes update the guide.
Rights controls. Geo controls by country, so the channel and its titles play only where you hold the rights.
Your channel runs inside your own branded apps on Roku, Samsung, LG, Vizio, Apple TV, Fire TV and Android TV, plus iPhone, iPad, Android and web. Revidd builds your apps, and they can be ready in as little as 1 to 2 weeks, plus app store review that Revidd doesn't control. You don't need an in-house engineering team. Revidd can also output HLS with SCTE-35 markers for the partners you choose. It does not place channels on Samsung TV Plus, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel or Tubi for you.
Revidd powers streaming that reaches more than 38 million viewers and 5.2 million monthly active viewers across 15 countries. See the FAST channel platform and playout and EPG pages for the full feature list.
When is Revidd not the right fit?
Revidd is not the right choice for every library-to-FAST project. Look elsewhere if:
You want a partner to distribute your channel to third-party FAST services and handle monetization there. Distribution companies such as Wurl focus on that job. Revidd does not provide managed placement on Samsung TV Plus, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel or Tubi.
You want to license titles to other people's channels, not run your own. Amagi describes Amagi CONNECT as "an end-to-end FAST marketplace" to "discover, acquire, and distribute content" (amagi.com, checked October 16, 2026). That is a different model from running your own branded channel.
Your cleared library is too small today. No platform fixes a thin catalog. Clear more rights or plan acquisitions first.
Revidd fits best when you want your own branded channel, in your own apps, run from the same CMS as your on-demand library and live events, without hiring engineers.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours of content do I need to start a FAST channel?
Wurl's Global FAST Pass FAQ says a FAST channel typically needs at least 200 hours of video content to support a 24/7 schedule. The same FAQ notes that requirements vary by genre, target market and the service carrying the channel. Count only the hours you have cleared rights to air on a linear, ad-supported channel.
Can I turn a VOD library into a FAST channel without new production?
Yes. A FAST channel can be built entirely from existing titles. The work is clearing rights, cleaning up files and metadata, marking ad breaks and building the schedule. New production helps with refreshes and live windows, but it is not required to launch.
Do my existing streaming rights cover a FAST channel?
Not always. Rights written for subscription streaming, broadcast or home video may not cover a free, ad-supported linear channel, or may limit the countries where it can play. Check each contract, including music and third-party clearances, before a title goes on the schedule.
Should I put my whole library on FAST or only selected titles?
Start with selected titles that have clear rights, clean files and a strong common theme, and launch one focused channel. Add more titles as rights and metadata are fixed. Titles that perform better on demand can stay on demand, since one library can feed on-demand, FAST and paid offers at the same time.
How do ad breaks work when converting library content to FAST?
You choose break points at natural pauses in each program, then signal them in the stream with SCTE-35 markers so your ad partners know when a break starts and how long it runs. Filler content, such as promos for your own shows, covers any break time your ad partners do not fill.
Can my library channel appear on Samsung TV Plus or Pluto TV?
Only through a distribution agreement with each service, which sets its own content and technical requirements. Many content owners launch the channel in their own apps first and add third-party services later. Revidd runs the channel in your own apps and can output HLS with SCTE-35 markers for partners you choose, but it does not place channels on those services for you.
Turn your library into a channel
Turning a video library into a FAST channel comes down to four jobs: clear the rights, prepare the files and metadata, mark the breaks, and build a schedule worth tuning in to. Do them in that order and the channel launches on a library you already own.
To check how ready your catalog is, run it through the free Content Library Analyzer. For rough budget numbers, try the FAST channel launch cost calculator.
Ready to see your library as a 24/7 channel in your own apps? Request a Revidd demo.
