Observed Signal · Sep 24, 2026 · Interview · Source: State of Streaming · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Live Sports FAST: Wurl GM on Ad Challenges
In an interview, Keith Bedford, GM EMEA at Wurl, discusses the growing presence of live sports on free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST). He notes that leagues and rights holders are diversifying distribution, citing examples like Man City launching a channel and UEFA on Tubi, while the Bundesliga reserves a Friday night game for Samsung TV Plus. He highlights the shift from traditional rights sales to creating own channels and the need for better ad monetization in live events, including the use of metadata and live markers in the programmatic bidstream. He also identifies common pitfalls for sports channels on FAST: lack of consumer awareness, poor discoverability on TV interfaces, and insufficient cross-marketing. The interview underscores the evolving landscape where live sports is becoming a key differentiator in FAST, but challenges remain in ad tech and user experience.
The article is an interview providing insights into the growth of live sports on FAST and the associated ad tech challenges, but does not announce a specific corporate event or product launch.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Wurl GM Keith Bedford says live sports make up less than 3% of FAST viewing, compared to nearly 20% on linear TV.
- Man City has launched a channel on FAST, offering matchday coverage without actual footage.
- UEFA has launched a channel on Tubi with live content, including highlights and Under-21s/Women's Champions League games.
- The Bundesliga has reserved a Friday night game for Samsung TV Plus, while selling Saturday rights to Sky/Comcast.
- Wurl has implemented metadata and live markers in the programmatic bidstream to improve ad CPMs for live sports.
Connected Companies & Entities
11 Entities mapped“GM EMEA at Wurl, discussing the transition of live sports onto FAST....”
“DAZN is looking at how they can do NFL rights and local sports rights....”
“We work with DAZN with the FIFA channel....”
“UEFA on Tubi....”
“UEFA on Tubi....”
“sold their Saturday rights to Comcast, which is Sky....”
“satellite rights to Sky....”
“kept back a Friday night game for Samsung TV Plus....”
“A&E, AMC, and BBC all have FAST channels....”
“A&E, AMC, and BBC all have FAST channels....”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
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