Have you heard of Tubi?
This might be a name that you might not be aware of. For this reason, when it comes to our continued look at the broadcast industry, we will delve into this one.
What is interesting is the ties to a much better known brand, Disney. After all, it isn't the streaming wars without the mouse involved.
Will Tubi Be A Major Player In Streaming?
Anyone who follows these articles knows that the media companies are all losing a fortune on streaming. The only one making any money is Netflix. This was the case for a while and, actually, what motivated the studios to get involved themselves.
Disney is mentioned for a couple reasons. To start, it is one of the top companies when it comes to entertainment. Few outpace the mouse on this when. Second, they have poured more than $10 billion directly into its streaming service. The problem is they spent a lot more on content to fill it.
This is where the discussion with Tubi enters.
Remember Rupert Murdoch? He was the one who sold a large chunk of the Fox empire to Disney, to the tune of $71.3 billion. Naturally, there was a lot more in the package than just content. Disney acquired news stations, traditional television channels, and sports. Of course, it also got its hands on 21st Century Fox.
This deal closed in March of 2019.
A year later, Murdoch buys Tubi for $440 million in cash.
This turned out to be a fantastic move. If we look at the streaming numbers for February 2024, here is what we see:
Notice how Disney and Tubi are lumped together. There is a .2% difference. The race tightened in March.
Both dropped with the net being a .1% difference.
Free Service
For now, the service is free. In just a quick run through the site, there is no need even to register. There is that option although I am not sure what it provides.
I did a quick search and came upon this.
The company is generates revenues through online advertising. This is a different approach than the subscription services who are finding they have to advertise anyway. Hence, we have to wonder if the future of television is going to return to the free model.
Looking at the March streaming numbers, YouTube is the leader with just shy of 10% of the market. This is something that should not surprise anyone as we discussed this regularly. Google might be upsetting some people along the way but it is making headway into the television market.
This is also something to consider with Web 3.0. Watch what is happening and then consider how we can adapt it.
Reverting back to Tubi, it might not be the most advanced service with regards to the selection. However, it is starting to put out a bit of original content.
We all know there is big money in video.
Here is a chart that is dated but it does clearly show what the market values based upon the market caps of the different companies.
Tubi is in the middle of this race. Will it start to grow similar to YouTube? At this moment, they approach things differently. However, over time, we could perhaps see some of these platforms spreading out.
In the meantime, we have to consider where all this is going. Major disruption is taking place. Some are speculating that Disney might introduce a free streaming service, tied to Hulu. This would be a waving of the flag and a major shift in strategy.