Following several network cancelations and subsequent announcements that the canceled shows would be dropped from HBO Max, Warner Bros. Discovery has signed a content deal with Roku and Tubi to house its new, free, ad-supported channels.
Tubi, owned by Fox, will add over 225 ad-supported video-on-demand channels from Warner Bros. Discovery and 14 free ad-supported streaming television (FAST), including three brand-named channels, WB TV Watchlist, WB TV Keeping It Real, and WB TV All Together, made to house popular series such as Westworld, The Nevers, The Bachelor, Raised By Wolves, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Cake Boss, Say Yes to the Dress, F-Boy Island, among others. Additional AVOD and FAST channel content on Tubi will include films such as The Astronaut’s Wife, For Your Consideration, and Lord of the Flies.
Roku made a similar deal and is sated to create branded channels for a few of the aforementioned shows as well. Both services tout housing about 2,000 hours of on-demand library programming from the new deals and expect to launch as early as February 1 for Tubi and Spring 2023 for Roku.
Titles such as The Gordita Chronicles, Love Life, Minx, and Made for Love, which were also canceled in the same breath as the other shows, would be coming to a free third-party streamer as well, but those titles are not part of the Tubi and Roku deals.
This licensing deal comes as the company attempts to cut costly ventures while maximizing profit for the newly merged Warner Bros and Discovery.
“Warner Bros. Discovery has a catalogue that TV lovers can’t get enough of, and Tubi is proudly making many of these recent hits from Warner Bros. Discovery available to new audiences this month,” said Adam Lewinson, chief content officer of Tubi. “From critically acclaimed and groundbreaking to lighthearted and addicting, our new WB branded FAST channels and on-demand offering will speak to each of Tubi’s distinct audience communities.”
Rob Holmes, vice president of programming at Roku, added, “As FAST continues to explode in popularity amongst cord-cutters, we’re seeing content players increasingly shift their focus towards capturing this audience, by bringing some of their best stuff to FAST. The rapid expansion of premium content on FAST is a win for both the viewer and content owner, as well as advertisers looking to reach these audiences through well-known programming.”
