Image: Godzilla vs. Kong
While other FAST (free ad-supported streaming TV) platforms are slowly testing the waters of making their own originals (think of The Roku Channel’s Weird: The Al Yankovic Story) Tubi has dived right in. Even just a cursory glance at the Wikipedia page for its original movies makes it clear that the company has ramped up original content production considerably this year. Since May, at least 10 new Tubi original movies have been released each month. If other FAST services matched this pace of original output, users may seek them out as a place to find entirely new original content and the reputation of these platforms as a home for secondhand content could change.
Last year Tubi announced it would be adding 100 new original shows and movies and we can see how that acceleration has played out with a notable uptick in the pace of new Tubi films premiering this year. The platform has regularly touted the size of its catalog compared to other FAST services but by measuring the demand for its catalog we can see that Tubi isn’t just padding its library with content audiences aren’t interested in. In August, Tubi had the most demand for all of its on-platform content (movies and series) across major FAST platforms in the US. The Roku Channel ranked as the FAST platform with the second highest demand for its catalog, only about 10% behind Tubi.
Aside from having the most demand for its catalog, the make-up of Tubi’s library also sets it apart from competitors. More than two thirds of demand for Tubi’s on-platform content was for movies, making it the FAST platform with the largest share of demand for films. Contrast this with the Roku Channel where nearly 60% of demand for its catalog was for its series.
Another sign that Tubi isn’t just filling its movie catalog with films audiences aren’t interested in is the fact that Tubi had the most in-demand movie on any of these platforms in August. Godzilla vs. Kong had nearly 31 times the demand of the average movie for the month, putting it well ahead of the most in-demand movies on other FAST platforms. As the industry starts reconsidering the old school business model of monetizing free content with ads, Tubi’s movie catalog is giving it a head start in the race among FAST platforms to win over audiences.
