The non-stop avalanche of entertainment options available in today’s era of streaming can be frankly overwhelming. In recent years, FASTs (free ad-supported streaming TV) have stepped up to provide what traditional TV did for decades: A more lean-back experience where viewers just turn it on, and don’t have to make any further decisions. 

MX8 Labs recently conducted a study on streaming services that included consumer preferences for some of the most popular FASTs, revealing not only which ones are the most popular, but how they stack up for the advertising experience itself. Here are a few of the highlights: 

In general, Tubi is the leading FAST, watched by 25% of surveyed viewers, followed closely by The Roku Channel (23%), while Pluto TV takes third (18%). Notably, Tubi is even more popular with Black viewers (45%) and people using a Samsung smartphone (36%). 

Ads are integral to the FAST value proposition, but some platforms are giving viewers better experiences than others. When asked about the ad break length, 71% of viewers said Plex’s are “just right,” while Pluto TV was ranked by 41% of viewers as having ad breaks that are “too long.” This isn’t to say that people are suddenly loving ads: Across the board, viewers still think ad break experiences are more annoying than entertaining. 

Of course, the content on offer is also an important part of attracting audiences. Looking at overall content appeal, Samsung TV Plus, The Roku Channel and Tubi are the big winners. In terms of what type of content was favored on each, 60% of viewers cited the network TV series offered on Samsung TV Plus, while movies won on The Roku Channel (58%) and Tubi (77%).