What is Tubi?: Everything you need to know about the free streaming app

The Australian streaming landscape has really taken off in the last few years, but one app is emerging as a favourite – and it’s free.

There are so many streaming apps around these days that it’s hard to keep up.

The Australian streaming landscape has really taken off in the last few years. Case in point, just last week Max, owned by Warner Bros Discovery, became the latest international service to launch Down Under, joining other streaming giants Netflix, Prime Video and BINGE.

However, with the cost of living crisis top of mind for many Aussies, free ad-supported streaming TV services have emerged as a cheaper alternative for viewers to get their entertainment fix without the price tag.

And, according to Tech Radar, the best free streaming service right now for Aussies is Tubi.

Tubi is a 100 per cent free streaming service that boasts 97 million active users a month in the US alone.

Tubi is a 100 per cent free platform owned by the Fox Corporation. It offers an array of movies and TV shows in its catalogue with more than 250,000 movies and TV episodes in the US, 20,000 in the UK and 7000 in Australia. Believe it or not, Netflix only has 5600 titles in its catalogue.

Today, Tubi has a larger content library than any other streaming service.

Tubi has the largest content library than any other streaming service on the market.

According to a Nielsen poll, when pitted against monthly subscription-based apps, Tubi consistently outranked Peacock, Max, Paramount+, Apple TV+ in total viewing time – and is soon set to close the gap with Disney+.

The only streamers ahead of Tubi are YouTube, Amazon, Hulu and Netflix.

Here is everything you need to know about the little app that could.

What is Tubi?

Tubi is a streaming service that first launched in the US in 2014, and in 2019 it was made available to Aussie viewers.

The platform is completely free – no monthly subscription fee required – and it is easy to use. Users can start watching immediately without creating an account or needing to sign up to a subscription. In addition, no personal details or credit card numbers are required.

However, the option to sign up for an account is available. Creating an account on Tubi means you can get access to features such as personalised watchlists, viewing history and parental controls.

How do I get Tubi?

One of the drawcards of Tubi is that the user interface is straightforward.

To access the platform, you can either visit the Tubi website or download the Tubi app from your device’s app store.

In most cases, you may not be aware that Tubi is already installed somewhere on your phone, tablet, smart TV or gaming console. Last year, Tubi streamed 10 billion hours of content globally, so it’s likely some of us Aussies have unknowingly already been tuning in for free.

In Australia, the Tubi catalogue boasts 7000 movies and TV shows. In comparison, Netflix houses about 5600 movies and TV shows.

What is the content library like on Tubi?

Tubi houses a diverse catalogue of movies and TV shows.

While in the US there are more than 250,000 movies and TV episodes to choose from, here in Australia the catalogue boasts 7000 movies and TV shows.

For context, Netflix houses 3800+ movies and 1800+ TV series in Australia, meaning Tubi has a larger content library than any other streaming service.

There is a focus on older content on the app, which gives way for those viewers who love revisiting films from the past few decades.

Does Tubi have ads?

In line with other free streaming services, users do have to sit through advertisements. These commercial breaks are usually shown on average every 15 minutes and run for about two minutes.