As highlighted in last week’s issue of Faultline, saving money was one of the main recurring themes across IBC 2023. It is therefore no surprise that the hype surrounding FAST (free ad-supported streaming TV) has yet to cease, at least in part because video aggregators of all shapes and sizes are looking for nifty ways to cut costs while increasing content. In this context, FAST is one silver bullet. But our time at IBC showed there are different approaches. Vendors like 24i are offering lightweight applications to allow operators to seamlessly install FAST channels into their UX, while Netgem is offering a fully-owned and operated FAST platform. Both are advertised as quick, out-of-the-box offerings for integration into pre-existing branding –…