Versant to add four FAST channels on Prime Video and Roku

By Tom Whitfield

Versant will debut four free ad-supported streaming channels on Prime Video in the U.S. on October 27, taking its FAST portfolio to 13 outlets, the company said.

Versant, the owner of MS NOW, CNBC and USA, still draws the bulk of its revenue from cable channels, even as it continues to build new-media extensions around programming from CNBC, Oxygen and E!.

Four brands become standalone outlets

Versant described the four FAST services as extensions of programming franchises:

• Snapped: The program chronicles women charged with murder and began airing on Oxygen in 2004.
• Botched: This selection from E! examines the highs and lows of plastic surgery.
• Oxygen Murders of America: A true-crime documentary series.
• CNBC Ambition: Stories about entrepreneurship, innovation, wealth creation and success, drawing on a group of primetime series that previously aired on CNBC.

The announcement presents the channels as distribution vehicles for existing franchises rather than four newly commissioned series. It gives no production budgets, commissioning plans or details about how much new material each service will contain.

Where the channels will appear

Versant said all four will be available on Prime Video in the U.S. beginning October 27. Their launches on The Roku Channel start November 3 and will be staggered, so viewers will not receive the full set on that platform at once.

The company expects to continue launching FAST channels on additional platforms in the coming months. It did not name those services or set out a timetable.

“Growing our digital platforms and reaching new audiences are central to Versant’s strategy,” said Dave Pietrycha, chief revenue and business officer of Versant, in a statement. “Bringing more of our programming to Prime Video and The Roku Channel extends the reach of our iconic brands and provides audiences with more ways to discover content they value wherever they watch.”

The announcement frames the expansion as a distribution and audience strategy.

What does this change for viewers?

For U.S. viewers, the announced schedule adds four free, ad-supported channels on Prime Video from October 27, with staggered availability on The Roku Channel from November 3. The outlets carry established CNBC, Oxygen and E! programming on two streaming services. The announcement does not specify schedules, channel order or advertising formats.

For advertisers and Versant itself, the case is broader reach for the company’s brands and free ad-supported outlets. Versant provided no audience forecasts, advertiser commitments or revenue targets for the four services. The 13-channel portfolio therefore establishes distribution scale, not evidence of audience demand or commercial performance.

How Versant reached 13 outlets

Versant began its FAST portfolio with six channels. Its January 2026 acquisition of Free TV Networks added three more, creating a nine-channel base before the four announced services. When all four debut, the total reaches 13.

According to Versant, six services are already available on both Prime Video and The Roku Channel:

• Pam Grier’s Soul Flix
• American Crimes
• Oxygen True Crime Archives
• E! Keeping Up
• Bad Girls Club
• GolfPass

Prime Video also carries:

• 365BLK
• Outlaw

Versant has been diversifying its operations and revenue streams through direct-to-consumer services tied to its main cable networks and acquisitions that could augment current operations, the company said. The new FAST outlets sit inside that wider distribution push.

The next test is whether Versant can turn the wider footprint into measurable audience and advertiser uptake as it adds platforms beyond Prime Video and The Roku Channel.