Free Streaming Service Tubi Partners with Vice for Exclusive Documentaries; ‘The Cult of Elon’ Coming in April
One of the most cutting-edge journalistic organizations in the world is set to bring its unique brand of storytelling to Tubi. On Monday, the free streaming service that it had signed an exclusive content agreement with Vice Media Group. The deal will bring eight original documentaries to Tubi, all of them exploring current trending topics.
The first documentary, “The Cult of Elon,” is set to premiere on the streamer on April 24. The film will focus on Elon Musk’s career and his journey to becoming one of the most influential and controversial figures in the world of business. The second film, “Vigilante, Inc.,” is scheduled to debut on May 6 and will investigate the erratic world of online vigilantism and will narrate a recent manhunt for an arsonist in Los Angeles created by the Citizen app.
The remaining documentaries covering various themes, including chatbot technology, mass shootings in the United States, and ticket scalping, will launch at different times throughout this year.
“Vice has a longstanding reputation of award-winning investigative storytelling and we’re excited to expand Tubi Original Documentaries with their expertise,” Tubi’s chief content officer Adam Lewinson said.
Tubi, which had 1% of all TV viewing minutes in February according to Nielsen, has both free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels and ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) options, making it fundamentally different than its more successful counterparts like Netflix and Prime Video. In a market that seems to be increasingly saturated with more and more monthly subscription services, this is welcome news to those hoping to save some cash.
“Reaching 1% of total viewing minutes is a huge milestone for us because it validates we are driving massive viewership,” Tubi chief revenue officer Mark Rotblat said, “and our data-informed personalization and recommendations get the right content in front of the right people.”
Fox Corp., which purchased Tubi in 2020, appears to believe that the future is bright for the service. In February, reports emerged that Fox turned down multi-million dollar offers to sell the ad-supported platform, instead company execs are focusing on bringing more new content to the service in 2023.
While ramping up its own originals, Tubi has been signing deals for more premium content lately. In addition to this new deal with Vice, the streamer also recently became the streaming home of “The Nevers,” after HBO Max unceremoniously dropped the series, despite having half of a season left to air.
Tubi
Tubi is a free video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 200,000+ movies and TV episodes - more than any other streaming service. Its ad breaks are shorter and less frequent than most free services. Fox executives have called their service “TV on steroids.”