Industry

GECA has released the fourth wave of its FAST/AVOD/FVOD Barometer, a quarterly study tracking audience behavior, platform usage and streaming trends in Spain’s free-to-watch digital ecosystem.  One of the key findings of this edition is the central role of nostalgia and long-running intellectual properties in driving spontaneous user demand. When asked which titles they would like to see in a 24-hour dedicated FAST channel, Spanish audiences overwhelmingly pointed to well-established franchises and legacy series. At the top of the ranking are La que se avecina (4.2%) and Friends (2.1%), followed by La promesa (2.0%), Los Simpson (1.9%) and Juego de tronos (1.6%), confirming the dominance of recognizable, long-running IPs in shaping audience expectations for thematic FAST channels.

GECA notes that this pattern reinforces the strong commercial potential of established franchises within the free streaming ecosystem, suggesting that audiences continue to gravitate toward familiar entertainment brands with high recall value. The consultancy also highlights that several of the titles mentioned already have dedicated FAST channels available on certain platforms, indicating a degree of disconnect between user perception and existing offerings in the market.

The report also confirms continued growth in platform penetration across Spain’s FAST landscape. YouTube remains the leading service with 68.7% reach, followed by RTVE Play at 51.6%. The most notable movement of the quarter is atresplayer, which rises 2.9 percentage points to 36.7%, overtaking Pluto TV and securing third place in the ranking. The growth coincides with the launch of the new season of Tu cara me suena, underscoring the impact of flagship IPs on platform performance.
According to GECA, the main drivers behind FAST adoption remain the same: 41.2% of users cite free access as the primary reason for using these platforms, while 33.3% highlight ease of use and 29.5% point to access to classic content. Advertising tolerance remains divided across demographics. While 70% of users aged 18 to 24 express a desire for fewer ads, 40.3% of users over 55 consider the current ad load appropriate.

The report also highlights the growing impact of free streaming on subscription video-on-demand services (SVOD). A total of 16% of respondents say they have canceled at least one paid subscription due to increased use of free platforms. This trend is particularly pronounced among younger audiences, reaching 29% among users aged 18 to 24, and already affecting 17% of viewers aged 35 to 44. GECA concludes that the Spanish FAST ecosystem is entering a more mature phase, where content strategy, IP exploitation and user experience are becoming increasingly decisive factors in platform competition.