By Gavin Boyle
Fans of LAW & ORDER can now stream six seasons of the show for free as the series launches its own FAST channel on Pluto, Roku and Prime Video.
“LAW & ORDER fans are using every type of media today and it makes sense for the series to be available wherever they want to watch it,” said series creator and executive producer Dick Wolf. “Our hope is that a new generation of viewers will discover LAW & ORDER, and the fan base will continue to grow as we enter our 25th season.”
“We are thrilled that the legendary LAW & ORDER will be joining our powerhouse lineup of FAST channels from the NBCUniversal content portfolio and are excited to bring this series to new and existing fans alike,” added Bruce Casino, executive vp sales and distribution, U.S. for NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution. “This further strengthens our longstanding partnership with Dick Wolf and Wolf Entertainment, whose storytelling continues to resonate with audiences worldwide. Our collaboration with our valued platform partners highlights our shared commitment to finding innovative ways to deliver compelling content to viewers.”
Related: How FAST Channels Solved a Major Flaw with Streaming
Seasons 5-10 are available as the FAST channel launches. They ran from 1994-2000. The channel is set to add more LAW & ORDER episodes in the future, though it is unclear if it will expand to other shows in the series such as SVU or CRIMINAL INTENT.
This new way to watch LAW & ORDER comes as FAST channels become one of the most popular ways Americans consume content. They’re popular, in part, because they solve the issue inherent to large streamers of choosing the content to watch from thousands of options. Instead, users can throw on a FAST channel, like the LAW & ORDER one, and receive a constant stream of episodes without making any more choices.
“Part of the reason to have these FAST channels for library content is it can be a solution for the paradox of choice,” said Adriana Waterson, executive vice president of insights and strategy lead at Horowitz Research. “But I don’t think you solve the paradox of choice by creating a new paradox of choice with 1,000 FAST channels to choose from.”
FAST channels also prove popular with content providers as they are extremely cost-effective, requiring only thousands of dollars per month to run, with potential for extreme profits, depending on popularity.
“Assuming you’ve got some content — and a lot of the people who run these channels own content — then your starting economics start to become very attractive, assuming you can sell the advertising,” said Ampere Analyst Guy Bisson. “You can run a channel very cheaply, and thus make a viable business of it in a way that you simply could not have done before streaming came along.”
For fans of LAW & ORDER, this ecosystem provides them with a new way to enjoy the show, and they are now able to stream Season 5-10 on the its dedicated FAST channel.
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