We all love David and Goliath stories, the little guy taking on the big dude. It’s fairy tale stuff, and in this story, Tubi, a small streaming service is taking on Netflix and Co. It’s exciting.
Well, I’m rooting for the big guy, sorry Tubi.
They get props for effort but they have one problem. Tubi has ads. Before, between and probably after, if you stick about long enough.
In a nutshell, Tubi is Hoopla with ads. It’s like the bad old days of cable. Its one redeeming element is that it’s free, but then again, so is Hoopla!
What’s Tubi and why it gets the thumb down
Credit is due, Tubi is going balls out on this campaign. They’ve picked up Mr. Big from Sex and the City to talk it up. They’ve got the domain NotOnNetflix.com — and even have a section “Not on Netflix” in their service.
It’s all very brave. I like it. I just don’t like ads. Here are the facts (you don’t get these every day on the net):
- Tubi is free with ads.
- It features lots of older content and some of its good. For instance, I found Akira!
- It’s a service where you will find something to watch if you search long enough.
Check out their offerings on JustWatch now to see what Tubi offers.
Ads disrupt viewing pleasure
Tubi is targeting the big services and angling against subscription fatigue with their spiraling costs. However, with the bigger services, you can see what you’ve paid for. No ads and big exclusives.
The other day I was watching Criminal Minds on cable. The show normally has a sequence before the title credits to get you excited. By the end of that three-minute sequence, there was an ad break.
After 20-minutes I was onto my third batch of ads. I couldn’t take it. I’m done with ads. Netflix and others have spoilt me and I can’t go back.
So, Tubi might be ideal for someone truly cord-and-cost cutting. That’s not me. I prefer my downtime ad-free.