Streaming services were thought to be the killer of cable TV, and for a time, their trajectory seemed to prove that theory. Unfortunately, recent years have seen many streaming services fall into similar pitfalls to cable.
That said, out of all streaming services, Tubi has quickly risen to the top of most people’s lists when it comes to these services. It was a surprise that came to many. When it debuted in 2014, most disregarded the streaming service for its poor original content and it basically being a dumping bin for old and forgotten television shows. As the years progressed, Tubi began to expand on that critique to great success.
This success made itself known last month, when Tubi revealed that 100 old cartoons from Cartoon Network would be added to its catalog in March. Unsurprisingly, this drew attention to the service from the online animation community. Prices for popular subscription services had been rising to the point that it wouldn’t be sustainable for everyone to have a separate account, so this led to account sharing. However, when companies began to put up barriers against account sharing, audiences began to leave in droves.
Compared to other services, Tubi had the positive of being completely free and offering a wide range of content to viewers, good and bad, obscure to nostalgic. While it might not have the latest popular television show, it keeps audiences coming back to watch the shows either forgotten about, gone too soon, or from people’s childhoods.
However, what could be Tubi’s greatest strength is its platform for a multitude of lost media or content that has been removed largely unavailable on cable channels and other major streaming services. For many independent creators, Tubi’s stance towards preserving old and niche media not only from television and film, but also from online creators, has many holding it in relatively high regard.
