Future Today Celebrates 20th Anniversary with Fawesome and HappyKids Reaching 75 Million U.S. Households

During the IAB NewFronts—which this year were held in March for the first time (March 23–26)—Future Today, one of the leading AVOD and FAST streaming operators in the kids and family segment, marked its 20th anniversary with a major industry milestone. Its flagship platforms, Fawesome and HappyKids, now reach 75 million U.S. households. A broad catalog of hit movies, creator-led programming, and premium partnerships with studios such as Lionsgate, MGM, Paramount, and Sony, among others, generate more than 850 million hours of viewing annually and exceed 2 billion monthly impressions.

The announcement also points to where the market is heading: a creator-led CTV boom—including the addition of YouTube sensation Jesser to Fawesome—rapid growth of multicultural audiences, and the debut of a next-generation, outcomes-based advertising solution—not just impressions.

The presentation was led on stage by Vikrant Mathur, Co-Founder of Future Today, and Megan Leonard, VP of Sales.

“Twenty years ago, we made a bold bet that the future of streaming would be free, accessible, and ad-supported. What began as a bold idea in 2006 has now become the industry standard. Free streaming has won—and Future Today is just getting started,” said Vikrant Mathur.

SCALE, ENGAGEMENT, AND AUDIENCE GROWTH

The shift toward free streaming is translating directly into scale and engagement across Future Today’s platforms. Both Fawesome—the leading free ad-supported platform offering more than 200,000 movies and TV series—and HappyKids—the leading AVOD platform for kids and families—are experiencing rapid audience growth.

Massive reach in free streaming: Future Today delivers significant incremental reach among audiences increasingly moving away from traditional TV and subscription services. As viewers migrate to free streaming, its wide distribution across Roku, Fire TV, Samsung TV Plus, Vizio, and LG continues to expand its footprint.

Megan Leonard, VP of Ad Sales, Future Today

Multicultural audience momentum: Hispanic and African American viewers are reshaping audience composition, now representing 25% and 20% of Fawesome’s audience, respectively. Programming investments are keeping pace, with Spanish-language viewing up 120% and African American audience viewing up 45%, while titles in these categories grew 59% and 53% year over year.

High engagement levels: In 2025 alone, users consumed more than 850 million hours of content, generating over 2 billion monthly impressions. HappyKids grew 45% year over year, surpassing 800 million monthly impressions.

On Fawesome, engagement is also surging, with average sessions 57% longer and users spending an average of 2.5 hours per session.

For advertisers, this engagement translates into real consumer activity—from restaurants and movie theaters to travel and insurance.

JESSER JOINS FAWESOME

Free premium streaming isn’t just growing on Fawesome—it’s accelerating. This momentum is driven by expansion into the creator economy and live event programming, positioning the platform as a destination where Hollywood-scale entertainment meets digital culture.

This year, Fawesome welcomes Jesser, the largest basketball content creator on YouTube, with nearly 40 million subscribers. With his global fan base, viral challenges, and collaborations with professional athletes, Jesser brings high-impact sports entertainment to the living room screen.

In 2025, Fawesome added more than 50 new creator partnerships across sports, gaming, lifestyle, and family entertainment, including Foltyn, Flamingo, Terra Green, Laughability, Matthew Beem, How Ridiculous, Jesser, Shiloh & Bros, Sugar Star, and Ghoulz Gaming, among others.

Additionally, Fawesome is investing in live sports through deals with leagues such as A7FL, the Professional Grappling Federation, and wrestling properties.

“Creators and live events are redefining how audiences consume content. This allows brands to achieve reach, cultural relevance, and measurable impact,” said David Di Lorenzo, SVP of Content Acquisitions.

HAPPYKIDS EXPANDS ITS OFFERING

HappyKids continues to grow its catalog with content from leading creators and globally recognized shows such as Blippi and Like Nastya, alongside classics like Clifford, Barney, and Franklin, as well as favorites like Hey Duggee, Garfield, and Pokémon.

NEXT-GENERATION, OUTCOMES-BASED ADVERTISING

Future Today also showcased advertising innovations with Audience Advantage, its next-generation targeting and measurement solution.

It enables:

* Advanced targeting beyond demographics

* Use of purchase and consumption data

* Contextual targeting based on cultural relevance

* Programmatic activation across platforms such as Magnite and The Trade Desk

Performance is measured through real outcomes such as:

* Attention and co-viewing

* Brand lift

* Incremental reach

* Sales lift

* Store visits

“Ad-supported streaming has entered a new era where brands demand impact and measurement. CTV is no longer just about branding—it’s about performance,” Mathur concluded.

Vikrant Mathur, Co-Founder of Future Today