For more than a decade, online video streaming has promised a television revolution. Just as TV killed the radio star, streaming was supposed to kill the need to watch shows on linear networks at an appointed time. Instead, you could fire up a prestige show whenever you wanted. But now, for a variety of reasons, it’s clear that this idealized stream dream hasn't come to pass—and never will.
We've ditched cable for streaming, so let’s cut one final cord. That doesn't mean you need to leave the streaming world behind. Instead, ride out its descent into oblivion and enjoy free low-stakes streaming with Tubi.
Our Favorite Free Streaming Services
Streaming Is a House of Cards
Before we make the case for Tubi, let's talk about why streaming is crumbling.
Well, it was flawed from the start—the economics never made sense. Streaming services, especially Netflix, spend unfathomable amounts of money on content that won't make a profit. Netflix isn't alone; Apple, Disney, NBC, and other big names joined the gold rush.
I purposefully use the word “content.” Streaming pioneered the practice of leveraging algorithms to monitor viewer behavior and using that data to generate ideas for new movies and shows with maximum targeted appeal. This doesn’t mean all streaming video is bad. I’ve enjoyed plenty of great streaming content. Streamers have funded award-winning films, and streaming reality trash has its place, too. However, quality was never the most important element, just increasing subscribers. And once there are no more subscribers left and the line can’t go up, things can only go down.
Over the past several months, we’ve seen the second half of the streaming scam: Making the service worse to desperately recoup costs. Many services have increased in price, some dramatically so. If you subscribe to multiple services at once, those increases compound exponentially. Even if you're fine paying the extra bucks, you're favorite program may be interrupted by commercials—just like on normal television.
Worse, streaming services cancel shows and remove content from their libraries faster and more shamelessly than ever. It’s just cheaper to let the licensing deal lapse or sell the content to a competitor. It defeats the whole preservationist appeal of streaming services as a living archive. What’s the point of Max without all of HBO? What’s the point of Paramount+ without all of Star Trek? If you find yourself asking these questions of fundamental worth for something you’re paying for, it’s time to move on to greener streaming pastures: Tubi.
Tubi inspires you to roll the dice on something random rather than be catered to, which is a great attitude to instill in audiences.
Tubi: Good, Fast, and Cheap
Tubi isn't an Editors’ Choice award winner and one of our favorite products of the year simply because it's an ad-supported, free streaming service. It also sidesteps many modern streaming missteps.
Tubi has a large and impressive library, with quality programming that genuinely competes with the more famous platforms, especially in their current diminished state. Big studios are selling their offerings to Tubi in hopes of scooping cash as the FAST market (Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television) expands. You can’t stream HBO’s Westworld on Max, but you can watch it on Tubi. Don't be surprised when Oscar-winning films find a home on Tubi. Ford v Ferrari and Midnight Cowboy are on there right now.
Tubi also understands that variety gives a streaming service its bulk and character. It's not enough to be free, and it's not enough to just have big blockbusters. Tubi fearlessly gets down and dirty by adding whatever cheap, old, and just plain weird stuff it can find to make sure you can always look forward to a novel viewing experience.
Want to watch Bloodrayne 3 or the fifth Howling movie? How about Dracula Dead and Loving It? Columbo, Everybody Hates Chris, and Scandal are available, too. Watch multiple reality shows where Gordon Ramsay screams at chefs. It's all on Tubi. I don't even know what Studio 666 is, but it's there. Tubi inspires you to roll the dice on something random rather than be catered to, which is a great attitude to instill in audiences.
Crucially, these are all shrewd licensing deals, a hallmark of old-school TV channel programming. Tubi isn’t relying on massive self-funded productions to prop itself up. Without subscribers, it’s not spending billions on laser-targeted original shows, plunging itself into impossible debt. The company simply picks up whatever schlock it can, big and new or old and small, which is a much more modest and sustainable model.
That’s not to say Tubi is a tiny company. It has Super Bowl commercial money and more than 74 million active monthly users. That count trails Netflix's 260 million subscribers, but it's nothing to sneeze at.
And more important than winning the streaming wars is changing the streaming wars. Tubi’s model pulls streaming back toward a more traditional TV model that thrived for decades. Tubi has live news without live TV prices. Calling something a “Tubi movie” might be an insult in some circles, but the low-quality, made-for-TV films give Tubi cultural relevance.
![Video Streaming Services: What You Should Know](https://zmgvideos.mashable.com/cms/2019/8/6668d220-bce1-feb6/uploaded_thumbnail.jpg)
There's Nothing to Lose But Your Chains
All this matters because streaming’s decline impacts more than just your wallet and your watchlist. Like any tech industry, streaming was initially about disruption. It was convenient and provided real benefits, especially during the pandemic quarantine.
But now streaming is encouraging more corporate consolidation, stifling competition, and concentrating more power at the top. An expensive, merged streaming bundle is just cable again, but arguably worse.
Tubi can’t singlehandedly fix this industry-wide problem. However, it presents a more modest vision of streaming’s future that seems a lot more sustainable. It’s not an expensive subscription meant to dominate your entire entertainment life. It’s just a cool, casual, and free supplement that's there when you want to watch something.
Big streaming is weighing us all down. Free yourself by watching Tubi.
Get Our Best Stories!
Sign up for What's New Now to get our top stories delivered to your inbox every morning.
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
Thanks for signing up!
Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!
Sign up for other newslettersRead the latest from Jordan Minor
- Like to Watch? 2 Edgy Indie Games Push Voyeurism Into the Mainstream
- Lego Horizon Adventures Debuts, and It Looks Better Than the Mainline Games
- Nintendo Switch 2: Backward Compatibility Could Be the Killer App
- MultiVersus: 12 Characters We Want to See Fight
- Drake vs. Kendrick Drama Confirms AI Rap Is for Losers
- More from Jordan Minor