Tubi More Popular than Max, Disney+, and Divorce
The free digital streaming platform Tubi has pulled off the ultimate surprise:, surpassing major online streaming giants like HBO Max, Disney+, Hulu, Peacock, and Paramount+. Not only has it outperformed competitors in the monthly viewership competition, but it’s also become more popular than babies, divorce, pickleball, or being French with more than 75 million monthly viewers.
The Fox Corp-owned platform, Tubi, is sparking a significant revolution in the age of “streamflation” with its free-ad-supported streaming model. Who cares, and what does this mean, you ask? Well, most obviously, viewers are fine with ads if they’re getting free content that sparks interest. Consumers are – over – inflated pricing, million-dollar movie-star budgets, and quantity over quality.
First, let’s talk competition
Tubi floats effortlessly to the top in the vast ocean of streaming options after its debut last year on Nielsen’s Gauge. Nielsen’s data of May and June 2024 data could tell the reason behind Tubi’s victorious walk of fame in getting high ranking.
In May 2024, Tubi reached new heights with 1 million viewers, while Disney+ ended up with 969,000 viewers. This placed Tubi just behind Netflix, Prime Video, and Hulu among streaming channels, while earning it the second spot after YouTube in the FAST category (Free-Ad-Supported Television).
The unfolding of Tubi’s popularism among the masses is no less of a magical swoosh but also the work of brains of executives who can simply see through the enigma of providing hours and hours of content to the audience.
Tubi’s “more popular than all” brand campaign crushes tongue-in-cheek marketing
With 80 million active users and growth numbers that competitors would kill for, Tubi is ready to stir the pot. Without putting down any competitors, Tubi routed to a mischievous way to deliver a clever “More Popular Than’ campaign.
Enter Mischief (Tubi’s ad agency) with their clever ‘More Popular Than’ campaign. Tubi’s YouTube channel launched a series of lighthearted and fun videos – all about being superior – without directly naming any competitors. Instead, the campaign boldly put Tubi ahead of babies, water fountains, divorces, and even being French.
The consecutive rise of Tubi ahead of other big players was a significant deal, but most importantly, they needed to highlight the numbers. As a recent debutant on the Gauge, Tubi did not want to attract any negative attention toward the brand. Comparing the scale and size of monthly viewers with babies, divorcees, water fountains, and being French was light-hearted and funny. Mostly computable. The babies’ video got 1 million views in the span of a month; however, comment section of the YouTube video did not feel settled with the theme.
The agenda for the brand seemed to be letting people talk, whether they agreed or disagreed with the campaign. Unlike bigger players such as Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+ that centered more around being serious with their position, Tubi geared towards capturing attention with unserious and unrealistic campaign.
Charting the rise of Tubi
Three factors—free content, a feeling of nostalgia, and convenience—have made Tubi a household name.
First: it’s free
In an era where consumers feel squeezed for every dime.
Tubi offers services without asking you to empty your pockets. It just wants you to watch the 15-30 second unskippable ads because watching free content with ads is different from paying to watch ads. One must be wondering, what’s the catch here? Advertising. Simple and true. Tubi has bagged heavy lifters of Hollywood, including Paramount, Lionsgate, and MGM, and the only thing the FAST service channel wants is an audience that will stay and watch the content with ads.
Nostalgic & inclusive
Tubi’s library is an entire rainbow with classics from the 60s, 70s, and 80s gems like The Night of the Living Dead, The Thing, Dolemite, and many others to new-gen shows produced by indie filmmakers. Tubi has cult-classic films, shows, and series that are so deliriously bad they’re good. It’s reviving the self-published, urban fiction era that resonates well with cord-cutters and cord-lovers alike.
The median age of Tubi’s audience is around 39, making it a platform that includes every generation in its viewership. Whether you’re a Gen Z streamer, a millennial binger, a Gen X nostalgist, or a Boomer looking for some classic fun, Tubi’s on it.
Convenient
Remember GEICO’s “it’s so easy a caveman could do it” campaign? This is exactly the message Tubi wants to send. Streaming on Tubi is -just a simple sign-in (no extra card info or premium quality upsell), and you’re good to go. Its convenience is commendable, especially when other channels turn sign-ins into a rubix cube.
Cut to the chase
Tubi crossed 80 million monthly active users in March 2024 and reached 1 million viewership in May 2024—both milestones that turned the tables for the better for the Fox Corp-owned free-ad-supported streaming platform.
Sending out the message in early phase of fame should go with unwarranted attention and negative marketing. Whether the ‘More Popular Than’ campaign created a buzz or not, it surely presented a scenario where flexing up the numbers could be done in a loud but entertaining and ridiculous but original manner.
