Industry Insights : April 2026
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Industry Insights April 2026 |
The OTT Market Hits $551 Billion Trajectory
The streaming industry is accelerating. Here are the trends shaping the future of OTT in 2026 — and what they mean for your business.
AVOD Overtakes Subscriptions as Streaming’s Growth Engine
2026 marks a fundamental shift: advertising is overtaking subscriptions as the primary driver of streaming revenue. AVOD spending is expected to rise by 17% this year, with 69% of US households now using FAST services.
For broadcasters, this is welcome news. Unlike pure SVOD players who must constantly acquire expensive content, broadcasters with extensive libraries can monetise through advertising without the subscriber acquisition costs.
Mangomolo Insight: Our platform supports seamless AVOD with server-side ad insertion (SSAI), SCTE35 dynamic ad replacement, and integration with all major ad servers. Learn more →
FAST Channels: The Growth Story Hiding in Plain Sight
Forbes recently called FAST “the streaming growth story hiding in plain sight.” FAST is now one of the fastest-growing segments in streaming, with Nielsen reporting steady growth in channel counts and viewer engagement.
The winning formula? AVOD + FAST together. “AVOD viewing increases exponentially when there’s a FAST channel for discovery. The two together is the true winning strategy.”
Mangomolo Insight: Launch FAST channels directly from your VOD library with automated playlist curation. No additional content acquisition required. Learn more →
Hybrid Monetisation is the 2026 Playbook
The era of single-model monetisation is over. The most successful platforms in 2026 blend SVOD, AVOD, TVOD, and FAST within a single experience:
- Maximise revenue across different willingness-to-pay segments
- Reduce churn with flexible pricing tiers
- Create multiple revenue streams from the same content
- Experiment rapidly without re-platforming
Mangomolo Insight: Switch between any monetisation model from a single dashboard. Customers like SABC+ and Noorplay leverage hybrid models across their entire catalogue.
AI Personalisation: From Nice-to-Have to Must-Have
AI-driven personalisation has moved from competitive advantage to table stakes. Platforms without intelligent recommendations see higher churn and lower engagement. Viewers expect content to find them, not the other way around.
This extends beyond recommendations — AI now powers automated content tagging, dynamic ad insertion, predictive analytics, and automated highlight generation for sports content.
Mangomolo Insight: Our AI recommendation engine personalises content based on viewing history, preferences, location, and behaviour — dynamic carousels unique to each viewer. Learn more →
What This Means for You
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BROADCASTERS Your content library is your moat. Unlock its full value through AVOD, FAST, and hybrid models. |
TELCOS Super Aggregation is your edge. Bundle content to drive ARPU and reduce churn. |
CONTENT OWNERS Every archived hour is unrealised revenue. FAST and AI discovery can surface it. |
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$551B
OTT Market by 2030
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+17%
AVOD Growth 2026
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69%
US Homes Using FAST
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Ready to maximise the value of your content?
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