Super Bowl LIX between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will get a majority of its viewers from Fox but that’s not the only way to watch the NFL’s biggest game of the year.
The Super Bowl will also be available to watch the game on Fox’s free ad-supported television (FAST) platform Tubi.
It’s a major coup for the streaming platform, which has garnered the envy of Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Apple+ TV for once.
At this point, watching major sporting events, including NFL games, on streaming services is old hat for many Americans, but it usually comes from a platform backed by multi-million-dollar marketing budgets and major corporate branding (See Paramount+, Peacock). Tubi, meanwhile, is still relatively unknown to a large portion of viewers.
Let’s see if we can remedy that with a helpful primer below…
Just tell me what channel Tubi is on…
Oh, you sweet summer child. Tubi is not a channel on your cable plan. It’s a standalone streaming service that you have to add to your TV or device like you would Netflix or Peacock.
Wait, so it isn’t just on my phone?
You’re thinking of Quibi (though the Tubi app is available on mobile phones and laptops).
Oh yeah! How’s Quibi doing?
Why haven’t I ever heard of Tubi?
You’re probably old or Chris Russo (or both).
Acquired by Fox in 2020 for around $440 million, Tubi was reportedly the fastest-growing streaming service of 2023, and they say they’ve surpassed 97 million monthly users. The service garnered 1.7 percent of TV viewing in December, per Nielsen, which is bigger than Peacock, Paramount+, and Max.
Wait, what’s a FAST channel?
Free ad-supported television (FAST) is just a fancy acronym for a streaming service that acts like a classic cable network lineup. It’s a collection of themed channels with pre-scheduled content playing continuously throughout the day. It’s a good option when you just want to put something on in the background and not have to worry about it. They’re usually free or an additional service included within a paid streaming service. Other FAST channel platforms include Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Xumo, Plex, and Crackle.
I can’t afford to keep paying for more streaming services.
Don’t worry—Tubi is free! They make their money from advertising during TV shows and movies, but you don’t have to pay to watch the Super Bowl there.
Sounds cheap. Is it gonna look like crap?
Nope! Fox plans to stream the broadcast in 4K on Tubi, so it should look pretty sharp.
Am I gonna miss all my beloved Super Bowl commercials?
Nope! You’ll get to watch all the ads for AI slop just like the rest of us.
I guess my Spanish-speaking friends are screwed, huh?
Actually, they’re a Spanish-language feed as well. You’re running out of things to complain about.
see you sunday 🎉 get your free account now for the full game day experience:https://t.co/Gm59uWf8Fr pic.twitter.com/vCLn8ZcvlZ
— Tubi (@Tubi) February 5, 2025
Are they doing anything unique?
They are. They’re hosting something called Tubi Red Carpet at Super Bowl LIX. It’s hosted by Olivia Culpo (Mrs. Christian McCaffrey) and “covers the celebrity, fashion, and culture behind America’s biggest sports event live from Caesars Superdome.”
Kinda risky to just start broadcasting sports with the Super Bowl, no?
Sure, but they have broadcast some sporting events beforehand, albeit usually as a repeat. During the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Tubi housed replays of every match shortly after they concluded. They aired some World Baseball Classic games two years ago and have experimented with international soccer games and live college football.
All of that said, the Super Bowl will certainly test the platform’s technical capabilities. If they end up having a glitchy evening like Netflix did during the Tyson-Paul fight, that’s going to be the story. So the pressure’s on.
So Tubi has other sports programming?
Oh yeah, they’ve actually got a robust collection of sports-centric channels, including Fox Sports On Tubi, the MLB Channel, NBA G League TV, Motor Trend Fast TV, Women’s Sports Network, and ACC Network Digital (full list here).
Deion Sanders hosts a talk show with Rocsi Diaz on Tubi and the two recently had to deny they were sleeping with one another, so there’s that too.
Give me a good reason to stick around after the Super Bowl.
Well, Tubi’s bread and butter is its extensive movie and TV show collection, claiming to have over 275,000 movies and TV episodes). If you’ve ever found yourself mindlessly scrolling Netflix or Peacock unable to find something interesting, Tubi is actually a great palate cleanser. Yes, a large majority of their catalog is schlock but you are bound to find some gems in there whenever you do some scrolling.
A brief check of their current lineup shows films such as Prey, Misery, My Cousin Vinny, The Terminator, Tombstone, and Training Day. If you remember the days when you used to turn on TNT or HBO on a Saturday afternoon and be treated to an imminently watchable flick, this is your jam. As a big horror fan, I also find Tubi to be clutch, thanks to an extensive library and varied collection.
I guess Fox is pretty committed to Tubi, huh?
Well, yes. But they also recently announced that they’re finally launching their own direct-to-consumer streaming service (in the wake of Venu Sports’ demise). That’s not likely to impact Tubi in the short term, but who knows what kind of impact it could have in the future.
If this goes well, does it mean we might see the return of Quibi?
Dude, you need to let Quibi go. I know the name sounds similar to Tubi but it has nothing to do with this.
I just never got to finish watching Most Dangerous Game starring Liam Hemsworth and Academy Award-winner Christoph Waltz.
Truly amazing that happened. Can I interest you in Tubi’s THE Most Dangerous Game, starring Casper Van Dien, Bruce Dern, and Judd Nelson?
Close enough.
