Tubi, the streaming service that has long touted being absolutely free, has surpassed other more prominent services in terms of popularity. Some of the notable players falling below Tubi are also several of the most powerful companies in the streaming wars. Tubi’s accomplishment is a no-brainer, considering the service is free for everyone to use, and it will surely shake the structure of other business models based on costly services.
The news comes from a report in The New York Times, which revealed Tubi’s partial victory after an 18-month surge in numbers made it one of the most popular services in the United States. While Tubi still falls below Netflix, YouTube, Amazon, and Hulu, and is reporting similar numbers to Disney+, it has now grown to be more popular than Max, Apple TV+, Paramount+, and Peacock. Tubi has kept its business model intact; by running ads during programming, the streaming service has continued to grow throughout the years, and it has lately experimented with original programming.
When addressing one of its notable recent original movies, Slay, Tubi chief executive Anjali Sud says, “We have rejected the notion that quality comes from budget size or critical acclaim.” Slay tells the story of four drag queens who are forced to become vampire hunters and defend their audience. Marketing chief Nicole Parlapiano mentions a B-horror gem to expand on this: “Tubi viewers are not embarrassed to say they’re spending their time watching VelociPastor instead of the biggest show on HBO.” None of them are wrong. Per Parlapiano’s comments:
We took what people thought were Tubi’s perceived weaknesses — older content, no stars, lower-budget movies — and we made it our strength. To be tied with Disney? That actually blows my mind. Their team is probably 100 times my size and I can’t imagine what their budgets are.
Slay and VelociPastor are just the tip of the iceberg of what viewers often find when they scavenge the bins of the free streaming service. Per the Times piece, executives confirm the most popular categories in Tubi are horror, thriller, and true crime. However, the platform also offers a wide array of older programming that’s often missing from the big streaming services. This includes sitcoms, Academy Award-winning features, and obscure foreign films. There’s no pattern. There’s a little bit of everything on Tubi. Even if viewers were embarrassed to reveal their tastes and the content of their Tubi watchlists, one of the other perks that makes Tubi very popular is that it doesn’t require an account for signing in and watching. You can just select and press play.
Tubi is only available to use in the United States, Australia, Mexico, and Canada.
How Does Tubi Stay Free in a Sea of High-Priced Streaming Services?
Tubi is owned by Fox Corporation, which bought it in 2020 for $440 million. Its growth spurt is so major that it makes competitors a bit uncomfortable when seeing the streaming numbers (Tubi made $900 million in 2023, and $775 million in 2022). And as long as Tubi remains profitable, it’s not afraid to continue the free-for-all business model. “Our lack of profitability is a conscious choice,” says Sud.
So, while other players keep raising their prices constantly, the small ones like Tubi and PlutoTV have the agency that makes them the go-to for fans who aren’t always seeking the newer blockbusters. Do you remember what it felt like to browse through video rental stores in the ’80s and ’90s and suddenly come upon a genre gem? That’s what browsing Tubi feels like, and it’s probably what’ll keep it alive for years to come.
Tubi is available to use on devices running Android, iOS, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and on most smart TVs, and internet browsers.
