MIPCOM 2019: Tubi expands UK business, launches kids’ service
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Joseph O'Halloran
| 15 October 2019

After a period of aggressive growth in the US, leading ad-supported video-on-demand service Tubi is to embark on international expansion beginning with the launch of a UK service in 2020 and is also on the verge of introducing content specifically focussed for kids.

The new Tubi Kids will launch on 21 October offering over 1,200 age-appropriate titles comprising more than 5,000 hours of content completely free in a dedicated section built just for families.

The launch is designed to be a destination for age-appropriate content on the Tubi Service, helping to alleviate parents’ worries over what their children are watching. Tubi Kids will initially roll out to US consumers via Roku devices, and will be available on all major streaming devices in the near future. Launch content will include films such as How to Train Your Dragon, Norm of the North, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, alongside series with iconic characters including Sonic the Hedgehog, Strawberry Shortcake, Paddington Bear and The Wiggles.

“We’re ramping up our international expansion with the UK launch being the first of several forthcoming territories and look forward to announcing them soon,” commented Tubi CEO Farhad Massoud. “The launch of Tubi Kids reinforces our dedication to offer an age-appropriate viewing environment – super-serving kids and families with a robust amount of content.”

The launches come as Tubi announced that in September 2019 it had streamed over 132 million hours in September – a 40% increase in four months. New titles currently available on the service include Megamind starring Will Ferrell and Tina Fey, Scary Movie 1 and 2 starring Marlon Wayans and Anna Faris, the Academy Award-winner No Country for Old Men directed by Joel & Ethan Cohen, and the 13th season of the hit TV series The Bachelorette.