The Globe and Mail estimates in its Wednesday, Dec. 7, edition that Pluto, which launched in Canada last week, is already available in more than 30 countries and territories, with a global audience of 72 million monthly active users. The Globe's guest columnist Barry Hertz writes that Pluto's entry into Canada marks something of an evolutionary step for the FAST market in this country. FAST stands for free ad-supported television. Mr. Hertz figures there are about 15,000 different subscription-based video-on-demand (SVOD) platforms currently operating in Canada. Netflix, Prime Video, Crave, the Criterion Channel and on and on -- all those Paramount and Disney pluses can add up to subscription fatigue, especially as households take a closer look at their budgets as a recession looms. While those SVOD services are only getting more expensive, there are a handful of new streamers that do not cost a thing. Except your tolerance for advertising. Pluto boasts 20,000 hours of free programming delivered from deep within the vaults of owner Paramount and domestic partner Corus Entertainment. If Pluto succeeds, Canadians could soon see more FAST services pop up here, including Amazon Freevee and NBC Universal's Xumo.