Amagi Report: Applied AI Moving Into Core Media Workflows

Why It Matters

Embedding applied AI into media operations turns a growth trend into a competitive advantage, unlocking faster content delivery and higher ad revenue.

Key Takeaways

• FAST HOV up 21% YoY, ad impressions up 27%
• LATAM leads with 66% HOV growth, 77% ad impression rise
• AI adoption highest in metadata, subtitling, tagging, localisation
• Integrated AI cuts workflow time, boosts monetisation
• New channels post‑Dec 2024 added 18% of global HOV

Pulse Analysis

Free ad‑supported streaming TV (FAST) continues its rapid expansion, with global hours of viewing climbing 21% year‑over‑year and ad impressions surging 27% in the fourth quarter of 2025. Regional data highlights LATAM’s explosive growth—66% more viewing hours and a 77% rise in ad impressions—while APAC, EMEA, and North America also posted double‑digit gains. This momentum reflects broader consumer shifts toward cost‑free, ad‑backed content and underscores the importance of scalable server‑side ad insertion platforms like Amagi’s THUNDERSTORM for handling billions of impressions.

At the same time, applied artificial intelligence is transitioning from experimental pilots to a foundational layer of media workflows. Survey respondents identified high‑volume, information‑rich tasks—metadata enrichment, context tagging, automated subtitling, translation, and social publishing—as the areas where AI delivers the greatest impact. By embedding intelligence directly into ingest pipelines, localisation engines, and scheduling tools, broadcasters can automatically flag quality‑control issues, enforce rights compliance, and surface real‑time monetisation opportunities, dramatically reducing manual effort and time‑to‑air.

The convergence of FAST growth and AI‑driven automation signals a structural shift for the industry. Companies that integrate AI across the entire content lifecycle are poised to accelerate channel launches, diversify programming, and capture higher ad revenues without proportionally increasing operational costs. As new channels launched after December 2024 already account for 18% of global viewing hours, the next wave of expansion will likely be powered by AI‑enabled scalability, making applied AI as transformative for media operations as streaming was for distribution.