It’s almost time to celebrate the centennial affair in the City of Lights. The 100^th NAB Show kicks off in less than a week, marking the second year of an in-person return at the Las Vegas Convention Center that’ll give attendees the chance to see countless technological unveilings and advancements.

There’s been a growing number of consumers who are embracing the lower-priced ad-supported tiers of streaming services, but there remains one price that can’t be beaten: free. According to Hub Research, 65% of consumers said they used at least one FAST platform in 4Q22, and overall usage is up 10% YOY as of December 2022. The quick rise of FAST has shifted the way programmers utilize digital streaming services as some use it as a gateway into other subscription offerings.

Slow and steady usually wins the race, but not in this case. This year’s show will have plenty of talk surrounding FAST, starting Sunday at 8:50am PT as Sinclair CIO/Head of Corporate Strategy Scott Ehrlich and Cox Media Group EVP, Content, Product & Innovation Marian Pittman discuss how local FAST channels offer new opportunities for advertisers and station groups. Following on Monday at 10:15 am PT will be Plex co-founder/CPO Scott Olechowski, Sling TV VP, Strategy, Business Development & International Liz Riemersma and others discussing the various challenges in monetization, market saturation and viewer engagement. Then, NBCUniversal Local EVP, Diginets & Original Production Meredith McGinn will offer input on how traditional broadcast nets could become big players at 1:30pm PT, before the “FAST, AVOD and SVOD, Defining the New Pay TV Bundle” session caps the show's Streaming Summit on Tuesday at 2:45pm PT.

If you can’t attend the 2023 NAB Show, Cablefax will be on hand to keep you up to speed on the latest and greatest that’s being introduced. To help prep you for the conference, below are some must-reads on hot NAB Show topics.