U.S. HISPANIC Versión en español
Daniel Gagliardi of FilmRise: “One Of The Most Common Mistakes When Launching A FAST Channel Is Thinking That Because It’s Digital, It’s Easy”
Maribel Ramos-Weiner| 4 de julio de 2025
Emilia Nuccio, Senior VP of International Content Sales and Distribution, and Daniel Gagliardi, Executive VP of Global Streaming Distribution and Strategy, both of FilmRise
As part of the WAWA Business Forum, Emilia Nuccio, Senior VP of International Content Sales and Distribution at FilmRise, moderated a conversation with Daniel Gagliardi, Executive VP of Global Streaming Distribution and Strategy at FilmRise, about FAST channels.
Gagliardi pointed out that the FAST model has changed, and there is now significant competition, with long-form, well-produced content. He noted that episodic series, true crime, and classic sitcoms perform very well in this space.
“For us, true crime is a great example. These are 30-minute episodes, based on real events, and they translate very well globally. True crime or fact-based shows have been the way we’ve successfully traveled across territories,” he said.
One of the questions posed to Gagliardi was about quantity versus quality. He stated that the pendulum has now swung toward prioritizing quality over quantity, due to the competitiveness of the FAST channel space.
Regarding monetization in Latin America, he pointed out that at least in Brazil—a large market that is open to ad-supported content—the CPM is only one dollar, and the ad fill rate is 20%, whereas in the U.S., CPM is \$15 or higher, with a fill rate of up to 60%.
“I don’t think FAST is mature enough in Brazil yet—maybe in two years. I estimate five years of struggle before it starts to pay off,” he said.
MONETIZATION
Gagliardi also mentioned that there are several ways to sell a channel’s ad inventory: one is to let the platform sell the inventory and simply receive a check; another is to share the inventory and seek a monetization partner.
He highlighted the importance of using data to guide decisions. For example, he noted that horror content doesn’t monetize as well as general-interest content because of brand safety concerns.
He stated that one of the most common mistakes when launching a FAST channel is thinking it’s an “easy business because it’s digital.”
Gagliardi also stressed the importance of marketing for the success of a FAST channel. “Designing artwork and its versions to fit the various platform formats. Paying attention to details and to the needs of each platform. There are now thousands of platforms hosting these FAST channels,” he noted.
