TV ratings data analyst Nielsen is pioneering a new service for measuring the performance of FAST channels, with Lionsgate on board as a first client. 

The studio’s MovieSphere channel—which screens kids & family features such as Paddington (pictured), The Spy Next Door, Summertime Dropouts and Against the Wild in the mornings—will serve as Nielsen’s guinea pig in the burgeoning FAST market. What Lionsgate knows so far is that MovieSphere’s audience has grown by 87% between Q1 2023 and the same quarter this year. And its viewers spend roughly two hours a month on average engaged with the channel.  

For Lionsgate, this deal with Nielsen is the starting point on a journey towards benchmarking the strength of its FAST business, says Jim Packer, president of worldwide TV distribution. And by exploring key viewership data such as reach, duration, frequency and concentration, the studio can improve and demonstrate the ROI of its channels to advertisers. 

The FAST market is growing quickly, and with that rapid expansion comes a greater need to understand consumer engagement patterns and behavior, says Nielsen’s chief revenue officer, Amilcar Perez. The company is focused on expanding the types of platforms it measures, and wants to help FAST channel operators improve their efficiency.