FAST Ad-Supported Revenue Growth through AI, Advanced Audience Intelligence and Direct Partnerships.

Session details:

SESSION DESCRIPTION
They say content is king, and there’s truly nothing truer than that but having great content is only half the battle; monetizing that content is the other half, and it’s where many FAST channel publishers struggle. Even with culturally resonant shows and a growing viewer base, content owners can find themselves left behind if they can’t generate strong advertising revenue. This session tackles a core challenge: how can FAST publishers grow ad revenue so they can sustain and scale their content offerings? Omer Latif, CEO ElementalTV, will share a blueprint for supercharging FAST ad-supported revenue by combining advanced audience intelligence with cleaner, more direct supply routes.

The Monetization Challenge
Historically, the CTV/FAST ad supply chain has been riddled with inefficiencies and “tech tax”. Publishers often rely on complex daisy-chains of SSPs and third-party data providers, leading to opaque operations and lost revenue. These opaque chains cause content publishers to lose control over their audiences and leave money on the table. With 76% of CTV advertisers now prioritizing audience-based buying, publishers are under pressure to sell on audience insights, yet traditional DMP segments are often too generic to meet buyers’ unique and specific needs.

Direct Paths & Clean Supply Lines
Simplifying the supply path is table stakes for effective FAST monetization today. Cutting out unnecessary intermediaries and forging direct publisher-to-buyer partnerships enables true SPO. Eliminating redundant middle layers maximizes yield and builds greater trust from buyers, too. In practice, publishers integrate directly with demand partners, offering transparently sourced inventory packages. Advertisers, in turn, get a direct route to premium inventory, so more of their spend goes to actual media rather than hidden fees. This clean approach boosts publishers’ revenue share and gives advertisers confidence in where their ads run.

Leveraging Audience Intelligence
Audience data, harnessed correctly, can unlock entirely new revenue streams. Omer will discuss the rise of seller-led audience intelligence (for example, ElementalTV’s 1Audience platform) that lets publishers curate and sell high-value viewer segments directly. These platforms analyze billions of viewing data points, using identity graphs and AI to create rich viewer profiles and segments in real time. They blend demographic, behavioral, lifestyle, and contextual signals into audience cohorts precisely aligned with advertiser demand. Rather than relying on one-size-fits-all DMP buckets, publishers can package inventory into buyer-aligned PMP deals that command premium CPMs.

Technical Breakthroughs in Ad Serving 
Sustainable ad growth also depends on improving the nuts-and-bolts of ad delivery. Omer will highlight technical innovations that help publishers squeeze more value out of every ad break. This includes features like dynamic pricing (real-time floor price optimization), VAST tag unwrapping (stripping away excessive ad wrappers to cut latency), on-the-fly transcoding (ensuring every ad plays properly), and win/loss notifications (transparent bid outcome reporting). Collectively, these innovations ensure no revenue opportunity is missed, each impression is monetized at optimal value with minimal waste. Implementing such tools can dramatically boost fill rates and CPMs for publishers, while giving advertisers faster, more reliable campaign performance.

Win-Win for Publishers and Buyers
Ultimately, direct, data-driven monetization is about aligning the incentives of both sellers and buyers, not just about new tech. When publishers can present curated, transparently-sourced audience deals, they merchandise their audience value just as they do their content. Buyers plug into premium video environments with high certainty about whom they are reaching. With direct paths, advertisers see better ROI as their ads reach the right viewers, and publishers see higher fill rates and revenue because more of each advertising dollar goes directly to them instead of intermediaries.

Attendee Benefits: This session will blend industry data, technical insights, and success stories to demonstrate how FAST stakeholders can break through the monetization ceiling. Whether you’re on the supply side (publisher/SSP) or demand side (brand/DSP), you’ll come away with a clear picture of what “good” looks like in FAST ad monetization. Attendees will learn:

• How embracing direct supply paths and SPO can improve revenue share and transparency.
• Why sell-side powered audience data combined with AI is the key to creating premium ad products that advertisers will pay a premium for.
• Which cutting-edge ad-serving features help capture lost revenue and ensure every ad opportunity counts.

By the end of this session, you will have a roadmap for sustainable, amplified FAST ad revenue, built on cleaner partnerships, richer audience insights, and a modern approach to CTV monetization. These strategies let publishers focus on what they do best (creating great content) while growing their ad business, and give advertisers confidence that streaming media can truly deliver performance based outcomes.