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The streaming service Tubi has been modestly rising through the ranks in the streaming market. A haven for cult-classic programming alongside trashy horror films and foreign-language offerings, the service has since been bought out by Fox Corporation and remains an independent subsidiary of the entertainment giant, with its monthly user count steadily climbing over 50 million. Its ease of use, ad-supported programming, and recent ability to stream sports broadcasts no doubt contributed to its success. But, in an age where just about every media titan has their own streaming service, even Tubi has to put out a slew of originals to keep users engaged.
There’s just one problem with this strategy. Whether it’s an intentional recognition of the platform’s popular programming, or a lack of sufficient quality, a lot of Tubi originals either tend to go unnoticed or are justifiably thrashed by critics. It’d be hard to argue that films like Shark Side of the Moon or Titanic 666 are a major draw for any streaming service, let alone one already saturated with similar films. We have to ask: why is Tubi making these originals, and should they bother with them to begin with?
What Is Tubi?
If you weren’t aware, Tubi is an ad-supported free-to-use streaming service now operating as a subsidiary of Fox Corporation. It’s currently home to more than 40,000 different television shows and films from both domestic and international providers. If you can imagine it, it’s likely on Tubi: classic westerns, Korean thrillers, cheesy science fiction, retro comedies, trashy horror, and just about anything and everything in between can be watched for free. Tubi’s library of programming is legitimately impressive at times, with a host of recognizable titles across both films and television.
Several studios have entire categorized “collections” of programming as well. You can find the prolific Full Moon Features library of horror films alongside the classic television offered by FilmRise, in addition to multiple collections of Fox programs introduced shortly after their acquisition. These include new episodes of The Masked Singer and Lego Masters among other shows.
Why Is Tubi Making Originals?
With a burgeoning content library and support from Fox, why is Tubi producing its own originals? The original announcement came in 2021 from Deadline, with then-CEO of Fox Entertainment, Charlie Collier, describing the purpose of doing so.
“At Fox Entertainment, we’re engaging every part of the company, including Fox Alternative Entertainment and Bento Box, to develop original titles for Tubi. . . Working together as one, we are combining all of our skills and talents with Tubi’s data-driven technology, to produce original content that speaks directly to Tubi’s passionate streaming audience.”
Essentially, Tubi being an ad-supported service allows them to get an idea of what their audience is interested in beyond just shows they enjoy watching. Fox putting Bento Box Entertainment and Fox Alternative Entertainment to work with Tubi allows them to capitalize on these interests and make shows that are tailored to their specific audience. It shows in Tubi’s output so far, although most of it is noticeably dubious in quality.
Alongside modest successes like The Freak Brothers, an animated adult-oriented comedy that saw Tubi’s first-ever content renewal, we also have a plethora of titles that simply fail to meet the same standards set by other streaming services. Even leaving out intentionally-poor productions by companies like The Asylum, we have films like First Person Shooter and Hellblazers that fail to deliver a quality cinematic experience. Even Tubi’s projects that are currently in production don’t necessarily stir up much excitement. Did you ever want a sequel to the Rob Schneider comedy The Animal? What about a cartoon with drug-dealing bears called Breaking Bear?
You have to wonder if these greenlit projects truly reflect the desires of Tubi’s audience, or if they’re an attempt at quickly filling out a backlog of originals to play catch-up with its competition. Either way, you’re not likely to see this content win mainstream appeal or critical adoration. Stranger things have happened, of course, but don’t expect it any time soon.
Should Tubi Keep Making Originals?
As Tubi expands into Free Ad-Supported Television (FAST) and confronts increased competition from premium streaming networks, it faces an interesting conundrum: sooner or later, licenses for its programming will eventually dry up. While it can continue to carve out a comfortable niche for itself against titans like Netflix or Prime Video for now, we can reasonably expect a large amount of these titles to vanish from their library, leaving behind their original content as a substitute.
As easy as it’d be to say that Tubi should just give up and stop producing originals outright, it’d be just as easy to say that the service is undergoing some mild growing pains. While a majority of their original offerings aren’t up-to-snuff, we can just as easily point a finger at Netflix’s library of unfinished, half-baked ideas with the same vitriol. At least with Tubi, you’re not paying for this content up-front.
Tubi shows no signs of slowing down as it continues to accrue more and more monthly users. Should it rely on originals to both retain its current audience and acquire more unique viewers, however, it really needs to put a little more effort in creatively.
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