Mattel is about to enter the FAST market, with three 24/7 channels gearing up to launch sometime this year on free streamer Samsung TV Plus. 

Barbie and Friends (pictured, doll-focused, featuring Barbie and American Girl), Hot Wheels Action (vehicle-focused, featuring Thomas & Friends and Hot Wheels) and Mattel Jr. (preschool-focused, featuring Fisher-Price and animated series Kipper and Pingu) will all be accessible on the Kids section of the Samsung TV Plus home screen. 

Mattel is viewing FAST as a way to connect with new audiences and deepen its engagement with existing fans, says Jason Horowitz, SVP and global head of marketing and media. Launching the channels on Samsung TV Plus probably isn’t a bad way to achieve these goals, given that it was available on 535 million TV and mobile devices in 24 countries as of November 2023. The streamer’s Kids section already offers channels from PBS KIDS, Moonbug and LEGO, as well as brands such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Barney and Friends and Baby Einstein. 

FAST is an increasingly active space for kids industry players, with companies such as 9 Story Media Group, eOne and Sandbox Group all starting to test its waters in the last few months. Advertisers haven’t quite caught up yet and are still spending more on linear, but this may change soon. According to Statista, ad revenue for FAST services worldwide is expected to climb to US$18 billion in 2028, up sharply from 2024’s forecast of US$8.65 billion.