BBC Studios’ UK channel provider UKTV is to make its debut in the FAST market, with the launch of four FAST channels on Samsung TV Plus and Paramount Global’s Pluto TV.
The four new channels is to launch in the UK on Samsung TV Plus on August 23 and later on Pluto TV on August 24. The channels will showcase content from the broadcaster’s free-to-air channel brands, Dave, Drama, W and Yesterday.
UKTV Play Heroes features inspiring stories of paramedics, doctors, nurses and the police. including Emma Willis: Delivering Babies, Inside the Ambulance, 999: Rescue Squad, Special Ops: Crime Squad, Cop Car Workshop, Inside the Operating Theatre, Nurses Down Under and The Shift: Women on the Force.
The comedy skewed channel UKTV Play Laughs includes shows Hypothetical, Mel Giedroyc: Unforgivable, Judge Romesh and Comedians Giving Lectures.
UKTV Play Full Throttle is home to lifestyle series such as Bangers & Cash, Architecture the Railways Built, Warbird Workshop, Yianni: Supercar Customiser, Secrets of the Railways, Train Truckers, Impossible Railways, Secrets of the London Underground, and Modern Wheels or Classic Steals.
While ,the history channel UKTV Play Uncovered features Abandoned Engineering, Forbidden History, World War 2 From Above, War Factories, History Hunters, Warbird Workshop, World War Weird, World War 2 Frontlines and Secret Nazi Bases.
UKTV’s director of advertising, Sarah Goldman and head of distribution, Philipp Pfister led the FAST launch, with oversight from Jonathan Newman, general manager, commercial. UKTV partnered with Amagi, for playout and distribution services.
Newman said: “FAST is a fantastic opportunity to reach new audiences with our rich content catalogue and showcase a wide array of genres across the four new channels. Thanks to the hard work of a group of passionate experts from across UKTV, our new FAST channels will be a valuable complement to the existing channel network and will help supercharge the UKTV Play streaming service by further extending its reach.”