[vincerooney]

Originally Posted by Legendkiller2k

Traditional UK broadcast networks are governed by the Code on the Scheduling of Television Advertising (COSTA) (no not the coffee lol), which limits public service broadcasters to an average of 7 minutes of ads per hour and other commercial stations to 9 minutes per hour.
Because FAST channels (like those found on Pluto TV, Samsung TV Plus, and LG Channels, VMs FAST channels) operate entirely over the internet and do not sit on traditional regulated electronic programme guides (EPGs), they bypass these broadcast limits completely.
Although VM do add these channels to their EPG i believe? The ofcom advertising rules still do not apply to those channels yet.
FAST channels fall into a legal loophole because they are neither traditional linear TV nor standard on-demand catalogs. As a result, they can air as many minutes of advertising per hour as their operators choose, which sometimes results in a much higher frequency or repetition of ads compared to public broadcast TV.
Content vs. Advertising Rules: While the UK Government passed the Media Act 2024 to bring major streaming platforms (like Netflix and Disney+) under Ofcom’s remit for content standards (such as protection of minors and accuracy), it primarily focuses on video-on-demand content rather than internet-based linear ad networks.
Evolving EPG Regulation: The government has advanced a multi-stage plan to begin regulating internet-delivered EPGs and connected TV portals. However, the initial phases focus on content protections, accessibility standards (like subtitling), and prominence rules rather than restricting ad-break minutage to match broadcast TV.
So in a nutshell it's cheaper for them to be a FAST channel rather than traditional broadcast channel.

cheers mate thats helpful and actually makes sense!