Fox streamer Tubi is launching in the UK.
The free ad-supported platform, which is also available in Latin America and Canada, will roll out today as the 10-year old streamer slowly grows its international footprint.
Tubi kicks off in the UK with more than 20,000 movies and TV series including the likes of Marvel’s Runaways and Billy Elliot, and originals such as Slay, with content from Disney, Lionsgate, NBCUniversal and Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Speaking to Deadline, CEO Anjali Sud explained that Tubi’s movie library will be “10 times the size of a [British] broadcaster” at launch and be available on “every major platform.”
“It’s taken us a long time to perfect and hone our approach to having a huge library, removing barriers and frictions, and listening to our audience,” she added. “We feel in a place where we are ready to go to UK market.”
A problem that needs solving
‘Aftersun’
A24
Tubi wants to attract “fandoms, communities and in some cases underestimated audiences” with its UK offering, Sud said.
With this in mind, it launches with categories including Bollywood, Nollywood, baking shows and arthouse cinema, the latter of which will see movies such as Aftersun and The Peanut Butter Falcon feature on the platform.
“It’s not like the world needs another streamer so you have to ask yourselves what problem you are trying to solve,” said Sud, who joined from Vimeo last year. “When you gravitate to the median viewer, there is a tendency to chase ratings and ad dollars, and a risk of creating a mono culture.”
David Salmon, Tubi’s EVP and MD of International, said networks and rival streamers in the UK have “become extremely clustered around a small set of core demos.” “We believe we can create an environment for deeper, more diverse, unexpected content discovery for UK audiences,” he added.
Tubi’s approach with these categories will be “broad and deep,” Salmon said, flagging how the baking section will include content ranging from Mary Berry’s Great British Bake Off days to Anthony Bourdain shows.
Tubi has been pushing further into the originals game of late and while the UK platform will be populated by the likes of Love Island-style reality series House of Heat and drag queen vampire movie Slay, there are no plans at present to commission originals out of the UK.
The launch is ambitious but Sud stressed Tubi isn’t yet gunning for world domination.
“This isn’t a land grab and we are not looking to suddenly expand into 10 more countries,” she added. “What we believe we can do is build a winning value proposition that will resonate. We are laser focused on the UK.”