Anjali Sud, CEO of Tubi and former head of Vimeo, dives into the revolutionary world of free streaming. She discusses how Tubi's ad-supported model is reshaping the entertainment landscape, allowing diverse stories to flourish beyond Hollywood's norms. Sud emphasizes the importance of data-driven content creation to cater to niche audiences and underrepresented demographics. With strategic partnerships and innovative marketing approaches, Tubi aims to redefine viewer engagement and challenge traditional streaming paradigms in an ever-competitive market.
Tubi is successfully leveraging its ad-supported streaming model to attract a large audience, emphasizing viewer engagement over expensive content acquisition.
The platform adopts a unique approach to licensing diverse content, focusing on underserved demographics and original films tailored to viewer interests.
Deep dives
The Appeal of Free Streaming Services
Free ad-supported streaming services, such as Tubi, are becoming increasingly popular due to their accessibility and extensive content libraries. With over 80 million monthly active users, Tubi offers a large variety of movies and TV shows without any subscription fees. This model is particularly appealing to younger audiences who are often reluctant to pay for content, especially when free options with engaging experiences are available. Tubi emphasizes the importance of viewer satisfaction and responsiveness, which contributes to its growth in a competitive streaming environment.
Tubi's Unique Content Strategy
Tubi has developed a vast library of content through partnerships with independent filmmakers and studios, focusing on diverse representation. This approach not only includes mainstream content but also lesser-known films that cater to niche audiences, providing them with a platform to find their audience. The strategy allows Tubi to cater to underserved demographics while simultaneously avoiding the costly arms race for high-profile content that subscription services engage in. By efficiently utilizing viewer data, Tubi creates original films tailored to the interests of its audience, a departure from traditional Hollywood practices.
Competing Without Huge Budgets
Tubi competes in the crowded streaming landscape by focusing on viewer engagement rather than spending vast sums on content production and acquisition. With a significantly lower budget, Tubi’s model resembles that of social media platforms, relying on continuous engagement and viewer feedback to shape its offerings. This viewer-centric approach allows Tubi to thrive despite not being able to afford the billions spent by competitors like Netflix, enabling it to foster a loyal audience. The success of this strategy is evidenced by Tubi’s recent growth in overall viewing time and market share.
Navigating Partnerships and Distribution
Tubi’s partnerships with platforms like Amazon and Roku play a crucial role in its distribution strategy, making it accessible on numerous devices. The company aims to maintain an entrepreneurial spirit while collaborating with these partners to enhance content discovery and viewer experience. Despite competing interests among various distribution platforms, Tubi remains focused on building its brand and ensuring high visibility to attract new viewers. This balanced approach enables Tubi to maintain growth while successfully navigating the complexities of the increasingly competitive streaming market.
What if you could watch shows and movies on a screen, for free, in exchange for watching some ads?
In olden times, we called that “TV”. Now the industry term is “advertising-based video on demand,” and it seems to be growing quite quickly. This is good news for Tubi, the AVOD/streamer Fox bought back in the spring of 2020, and for Anjali Sud, who has been running Tubi for the last year. At the moment, Tubi’s programming is helping it beat services with much bigger profiles, and budgets, including Comcast’s Peacock and WBD’s Max.
Sud, who used to run IAC’s Vimeo video service, talked to me live at the NAB NY show. Discussed here: Tubi’s approaching to licensing and programming, why it makes sense for the streamer to make a smattering of its own shows, and what being part of Fox does and doesn’t do for her.