By T. Jayani, JadeTimes News
Rupert Murdoch's Fox Corporation is set to enter the UK's competitive free, ad supported video streaming market with Tubi. The service will rival platforms like Netflix, Disney+, ITVX, Channel 4's streaming platform.
Tubi has been rapidly gaining market share in the US, where it reportedly has nearly 80 million monthly active users, according to Fox. In the UK, Tubi plans to offer over 20,000 films and TV series, featuring content from Disney, Lionsgate, NBCUniversal, and Sony Pictures Entertainment, as well as British, Indian, and Nigerian content.
UK viewers will be able to access Tubi's content through its webpage and a smartphone app. Tubi's CEO, Anjali Sud, stated, "Tubi has spent the last decade honing our approach to vast, free, and fun streaming in North America, and we feel that now is the perfect time to bring that recipe to UK audiences."
Fox Corporation acquired Tubi in 2020 for $440 million (£348 million) as part of its strategy to attract younger audiences. In recent years, streaming companies like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ have introduced ad supported services and increased subscription prices to boost revenues, driven by the need to expand their content libraries and attract more customers in a highly competitive market.
Abi Watson, a senior media analyst at Enders, told us that while Tubi has been "very successful in the US," the UK presents a "very different media environment" that is already well served by public service broadcasters with significant investments in free online video content. Watson suggested that Tubi, which has "little or no unique content," may struggle to gain traction in the UK market, despite previous half hearted attempts by foreign operators to break into the UK's free video streaming sector.
In March, Murdoch's TalkTV network announced it would cease broadcasting as a terrestrial television channel and transition to a strictly online service. Launched in 2022, TalkTV had difficulty attracting viewers on its linear platform. Murdoch had hoped the network would disrupt the broadcasting establishment by offering an opinion led alternative to established outlets.
Murdoch has been a key figure in the UK's broadcasting industry, having launched Sky in 1984. Some commentators viewed TalkTV as Murdoch's attempt to replicate his success with Sky. However, in 2018, Murdoch's 21st Century Fox sold its 39% stake in Sky to Comcast, the owner of NBCUniversal, after losing a bidding war for the network.
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