New Delhi: RunnTV, a FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television) platform offering movies, shows, music, and live TV channels, has announced the launch of a groundbreaking Time-Shift feature for FAST channels. Designed to allow viewers to rewind and catch up on recently aired content on FAST channels, the feature brings a DVR-like experience to the FAST ecosystem — making RunnTV one of the first FAST platforms globally to introduce time-shift viewing functionality for linear streaming channels.
The Time-Shift capability has already been rolled out across select leading channels on the RunnTV platform, with more channels set to adopt the feature in the coming months.
FAST TV has emerged as one of the fastest-growing segments of streaming globally, but the experience has largely remained purely linear — requiring viewers to watch programming strictly in real time. RunnTV’s new feature bridges this gap by allowing audiences to move backwards within the live stream, effectively transforming the FAST viewing experience into a more flexible and viewer-friendly format.
Manish Sinha, Founder and CEO, RunnTV, said, “FAST television has seen tremendous global growth, but the viewing experience has remained largely linear — if you miss a show, you miss it. With our Time-Shift feature, we are bringing the flexibility of on-demand streaming to live FAST channels. Viewers can now rewind and catch up on recently streamed programs, they want to, on FAST channels. We believe this is a major step in evolving the FAST viewing experience.”
The Time-Shift feature has been developed using PlayStudio, RunnTV’s FAST and OTT technology solution designed to power FAST channel creation, management, and distribution. Notably, RunnTV is also making the Time-Shift capability available to the broader industry through PlayStudio — enabling streaming platforms, broadcasters, and FAST channel operators to integrate the same functionality into their own apps and FAST environments.
Manish Sinha added, “What makes this particularly exciting is that the technology powering this capability is part of our PlayStudio FAST solution. Through PlayStudio, we are also enabling broadcasters, FAST channel operators and streaming platforms to implement the same feature within their own services.”
This allows partners to introduce DVR-like functionality to FAST channels while maintaining the ad-supported monetisation model — preserving the commercial foundations of free streaming television while significantly enhancing the viewer experience.
With the introduction of Time-Shift, RunnTV continues to expand the capabilities of free streaming television, making FAST channels more interactive and accessible for modern audiences. The company plans to expand the feature across additional channels and explore further enhancements designed to blend the convenience of digital streaming with the simplicity of linear television.
