Tubi

Overview

Tubi is the largest free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST/AVOD) platform in the United States, owned by Fox Corporation since 2020. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Los Angeles, Tubi offers a catalog of over 50,000 titles -- films and television series -- to viewers in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and other markets at no cost to the viewer. Revenue is generated through advertising rather than subscription fees.

Tubi's scale in the AVOD market is significant: the platform reports over 75 million monthly active users and billions of hours of content watched annually. For independent filmmakers and distributors seeking to reach a large audience without a subscription barrier, Tubi represents one of the most accessible and high-reach digital distribution options available.

Distribution Model

Tubi licenses content from studios, distributors, and independent rights holders under revenue-sharing or flat-fee licensing agreements. The platform does not typically acquire exclusive rights -- films on Tubi may also be available on other non-exclusive platforms simultaneously. This non-exclusive licensing model makes Tubi a realistic option for films that are also seeking theatrical, TVOD, or SVOD distribution.

Revenue sharing on Tubi is based on the advertising revenue generated by the content. The more views a film generates, the more revenue it earns. For films with strong catalog appeal -- genre films with loyal audiences, cult titles, or content that targets specific demographics -- Tubi's audience base can generate meaningful long-tail revenue over time.

What Filmmakers Should Know

Tubi is not a primary distribution partner for films targeting theatrical release or awards consideration. However, for films that have completed their theatrical and PVOD windows, Tubi provides one of the largest possible audience platforms for catalog distribution.

Independent filmmakers distributing their own films should consider Tubi as part of a multi-platform digital strategy. Films can be delivered to Tubi directly or through digital aggregators including Distribber, Quiver Digital, and others that handle delivery to AVOD platforms alongside SVOD and TVOD.

The AVOD model is particularly well-suited to genre films, horror, action, and titles with passionate niche audiences who are willing to watch with ads rather than pay a rental fee. Tubi's genre catalog is among the strongest of any AVOD platform, and the platform's audience is highly active in those categories.

The AVOD Landscape

Tubi is part of a growing AVOD ecosystem that also includes Pluto TV (owned by Paramount), Peacock (AVOD tier), Freevee (Amazon's AVOD layer), and the Roku Channel. For filmmakers building a digital distribution strategy, understanding which platforms offer AVOD alongside or instead of SVOD/TVOD is essential to maximizing catalog revenue.

Unlike SVOD platforms that license content for a fixed fee, AVOD platforms generate revenue on a per-view basis through advertising. This means revenue scales with viewership rather than being a fixed advance, which can be advantageous for films with strong audience retention over time but less predictable as a revenue forecast.

See Also

For how AVOD fits into a multi-window digital distribution strategy, see Streaming vs Theatrical Revenue. To model the revenue potential of AVOD licensing alongside TVOD and SVOD in your film's distribution plan, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator.