London, July 02, 2024, The Europe Today: Fox Corporation is set to make a significant entry into the UK’s highly competitive free, ad-supported video streaming market with the launch of Tubi. The platform will compete with established services such as Netflix, Disney+, ITVX, Channel 4’s streaming platform, and the BBC iPlayer.
Tubi, which has been rapidly gaining market share in the US with nearly 80 million monthly active users according to Fox, will offer UK viewers access to over 20,000 films and TV series. The content library will include titles from major studios like Disney, Lionsgate, NBCUniversal, and Sony Pictures Entertainment. Additionally, Tubi will feature a selection of British, Indian, and Nigerian content, catering to a diverse audience.
UK audiences will be able to access Tubi’s extensive content via the platform’s webpage and a dedicated smartphone app. “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,” said Tubi Chief Executive Anjali Sud.
Fox Corporation acquired Tubi in 2020 for $440 million (£348 million) as part of its strategy to attract younger audiences. The move comes at a time when streaming giants like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ have launched ad-supported services and increased subscription prices to boost revenues amidst the need to expand their content libraries.
In March, Rupert Murdoch’s TalkTV network announced its transition to a strictly online service, ceasing terrestrial television broadcasts. Despite launching in 2022, TalkTV struggled to attract viewers on its linear platform. Murdoch had envisioned the network as an opinion-led alternative to established outlets, aiming to disrupt the broadcasting establishment.
Murdoch, a pivotal figure in the development of the UK’s broadcasting industry with the launch of Sky in 1984, saw TalkTV as a potential successor to his success with Sky. However, in 2018, 21st Century Fox sold its 39% stake in Sky to NBCUniversal’s owner Comcast after losing the battle for control of the network.
