During Super Bowl LVII, millions of viewers were momentarily startled when it looked like their TVs had exited the game and opened an app called Tubi. It was a well-executed prank ad, designed to mimic an accidental remote click. In that brief moment, Tubi went from a background name to a centerpiece of conversation.
That ad wasn’t just a clever stunt. It marked Tubi’s arrival in the mainstream spotlight.
By mid-2025, Tubi had reached 100 million monthly active users, surpassing platforms like Disney+, Max, Peacock, and Paramount Plus in the United States. It simulcasted the Super Bowl alongside Fox Sports, launched exclusive partnerships with WWE and the Concacaf Champions Cup in Mexico, and earned a spot on Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies list. Even so, Tubi often carried the reputation of an underdog, a title that no longer reflects its scale or cultural relevance.
One statistic says it all. Tubi recently surpassed one billion viewing hours in a single month. Not total users. Not app downloads. Actual hours watched. This is the kind of metric that cuts through perception and signals real, sustained engagement.
A Platform for Everyone and Everything
Tubi was founded in 2014 by Farhad Massoudi and Thomas Ahn Hicks as a pivot from their earlier venture, adRise—a company that helped publishers launch their streaming apps across CTV platforms with no upfront costs. Instead of charging for development, adRise took a revenue share from ad inventory. It was a clever infrastructure play that gave the company unique visibility into CTV consumption patterns before the streaming boom hit.
When Tubi was just getting started, adRise quietly amended its agreements with publishers: any content distributed through a publisher’s app could also appear on Tubi. This gave Tubi a jumpstart without the burden of costly licensing deals. It was a strategic masterstroke—similar to what Roku later did to seed The Roku Channel. By riding the rails it had already built for others, Tubi bootstrapped a direct-to-consumer AVOD service using third-party libraries. It wasn’t just efficient—it was pure leverage.
Today, Tubi claims the largest streaming content library in the world, with over 275,000 titles spanning every genre and generation. The catalog includes cult favorites like Cooley High, anime, French New Wave films, old-school Westerns, reality TV, popcorn horror, and outliers like Leprechaun 4: Lost in Space. Tubi takes pride in not curating through prestige filters or awards appeal. As CMO Nicole Parlapiano explained, “We’re not here to tell you what’s good or Emmy Award–winning. We don’t take ourselves too seriously.”
The platform’s approach feels less like a glossy museum and more like a digital video store. It is chaotic, nostalgic, and refreshingly accessible. For many independent creators, especially Black filmmakers, it became a place to break through without industry connections or big budgets.
From Punchlines to Platform Power
Tubi has often been the punchline in memes and jokes. It has been called the Criterion Collection for bad movies and a dumping ground for D-list thrillers. But these critiques often carry a strange affection. Tubi became the only major platform where the bizarre and the forgotten could find new life.
Some of its most viral titles, such as Amityville in the Hood and Cocaine Cougar, were made by self-funded indie filmmakers, many based in Detroit. These creators built cult audiences thanks to viral moments on TikTok and X. Journalist Phil Lewis described it well, noting that Tubi has become a meaningful outlet for independent Black filmmakers to showcase their work.
The company actively supports that ecosystem. Tubi works with studios and independent distributors under revenue-share or multi-year licensing deals. There are no barriers for viewers. You do not even need to sign up. As Syracuse University professor and former studio executive J. Christopher Hamilton said, “You turn it on and watch. It’s like television from back in the day.”
The Fox Era and Strategic Growth
In 2020, Fox Corporation acquired Tubi for 440 million dollars. Instead of turning it into another studio-driven platform, Fox amplified what was already working. The company acquired MarVista Entertainment to boost original movie production and struck deals with content providers like Warner Bros. Discovery, NBCUniversal, and South Korean media giant CJ ENM.
In 2023, founder and CEO Farhad Massoudi stepped down and was replaced by Anjali Sud, formerly of Vimeo. Under Sud’s leadership, Tubi has doubled down on creator-driven content and expanded its appeal to younger audiences who might otherwise gravitate toward TikTok or YouTube.
Parlapiano made the company’s ambition clear. “We’re not looking to dethrone anyone. We want to be taken seriously. There is a stigma around free streaming apps that says we’re not as good. That is unfair. And it’s changing.”
Rejecting the Streaming Monoculture
Where Netflix encourages monoculture through curated originals and algorithm-driven fear of missing out, Tubi offers a different proposition. It encourages discovery. Its interface is cluttered but full of possibilities. It feels like rummaging through a DVD bargain bin, where a hidden gem might sit beside an obscure oddity.
Tubi also wins with its extensive collection of older films. While Netflix and others often ignore pre-1990 titles, Tubi includes classics like West Side Story, The Music Man, and Fiddler on the Roof. For niche genres like musicals or vintage horror, it often outpaces the competition.
The platform’s advertising model is a strength, not a compromise. Unlike services that bolted ads onto a premium experience, Tubi was built around AVOD. Its ad revenue grew by 22% in a recent quarter, showing the model’s resilience and appeal in a crowded market.
A Cultural Presence That Hits Different
Tubi has become a cultural fixture. Its films show up in memes, reaction videos, and TikTok rewatches. Its reputation as a “social punching bag” may seem dismissive, but it also reflects the platform’s wide reach and real presence. Tubi feels like a successor to public-access TV—scrappy, unpredictable, and full of personality.
And it listens. Tubi adapts to where the audience is, not where critics think it should be. As Parlapiano explained, “We focus on specific fandoms and genres. You like what you like. It doesn’t matter if we like it. We’re not telling you what to watch.”
A Streaming Legacy in Motion
Tubi is not just another streaming service. It is a different philosophy. While others chase billion-dollar originals and chase the prestige crowd, Tubi invites everyone in. It respects the viewer’s right to choose. It honors weirdness, camp, and deep cuts. It believes access matters more than polish.
And it is working. With more than a billion hours watched in May alone, Tubi is proving that volume, diversity, and authenticity can win.
While many of its rivals shrink catalogs and retrench, Tubi is expanding. It is not trying to be the next Netflix. It is trying to be something else entirely. And if recent history is any indication, it might already be succeeding.
