Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Corporation is entering the UK’s highly competitive free, ad-supported video streaming market with Tubi.
Tubi will compete with platforms like Netflix, Disney+, ITVX, Channel 4’s streaming service, and BBC iPlayer.
The platform has been rapidly gaining market share in the US, where, according to Fox, it has nearly 80 million monthly active users.
In the UK, Tubi will offer over 20,000 films and TV series, including content from Disney, Lionsgate, NBCUniversal, and Sony Pictures Entertainment.
The platform will also feature a selection of British, Indian, and Nigerian content.
UK viewers will be able to access Tubi’s content through its website and a 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,” Tubi chief executive Anjali Sud said.
Fox Corporation acquired Tubi in 2020 for $440 million (£348 million) as the US media giant aimed to attract younger audiences.
In recent years, streaming companies like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ have launched ad-supported services and raised subscription prices to boost revenues. These moves were driven by the need to invest more in expanding their content libraries to attract more customers in an increasingly competitive market.
In March, Rupert Murdoch’s TalkTV network announced it would cease broadcasting as a terrestrial television channel and transition to a strictly online service. The network, which launched in 2022, struggled to attract viewers on its linear platform.
Murdoch had hoped the network would disrupt the broadcasting establishment by offering an opinion-led alternative to established outlets. The media tycoon played a crucial role in the development of the UK’s broadcasting industry by launching Sky in 1984.
Some commentators viewed TalkTV as Murdoch’s attempt to replicate his success with Sky. However, Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox sold its 39% stake in Sky to NBCUniversal’s owner Comcast in 2018 after losing a bidding war for the network.