Everyone should use Tubi
Photo courtesy of Fox Corporation, Tubi Media Group/Wikimedia Commons
How many times have you fallen down the streaming rabbit hole, unable to find something to watch? Like Sisyphus pushing that boulder, we students are plagued with the momentous challenge of picking something to watch daily. I have found the perfect remedy for this situation: the streaming service Tubi. Laugh all you want, but this is an underrated and underutilized tool among college students.
For those who do not know, Tubi is a free streaming service with over 20,000 free TV shows and movies, with 25 million monthly viewers, according to Tom’s Guide. Deadline notes that Tubi was launched in 2014 and bought by Fox in 2020, and has seen a steady increase in viewership since then. Tubi entices viewers by being free, but the service uses ads. While many see this as a major downside, I think the variety and amount of content audiences get free of charge is more than worth it.
What does Tubi have to offer us measly college students? Tubi offers popular films, such as Scream (1996), Legally Blonde (2001), Heathers (1988), and Superbad (2011), and TV shows like Teen Titans (2003-2006), The Twilight Zone (1959-1964), and Dance Moms (2011-2019). You might think their catalog is full of random, unknown movies—which it is—but it has a fair amount of classics as well.
Their horror selection is particularly stellar, as they have films such as Bones and All (2022) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), some personal favorites of mine. While many find Tubi originals to be cringey, some are truly worth the watch, such as Big Mood (2024- ) starring Nicola Coughlan, or Kissing is the Easy Part (2026). The true appeal to Tubi, in my opinion, is the unique selection of films you would not be recommended otherwise. For example, I found the film Butch Camp (1996), a campy film about exactly what the title describes; this is something I do not think Netflix would have ever recommended to me. Tubi is a modern-day Pandora’s Box, with thousands of hidden gems waiting for you.
Shocking no one, I am also a big Pluto TV fan. Similar to Tubi, Pluto TV is a free streaming service that features live channels as well as on-demand films and shows. I find the selection a bit less varied, but the live channels are not only nostalgic but good for easy viewing. Pluto TV offers classic channels, such as Comedy Central, as well as single-show channels such as the X-Files Channel.
I understand that these platforms may be severely hampered by their ads, but I argue it is worth it in the long run. Streaming services like Hulu have audiences pay to use them and still give ads unless you pay more on top of the original price to remove them, according to Boston University News Service. Why pay for a streaming service that kicks you off for not being in range of your household? Platforms like Tubi and Pluto TV, that do not even require an account to use, are much more college-friendly. Furthermore, these screens can fix your attention span. Having your film or show interrupted by 30 seconds to a minute of ads should not ruin the experience. It gives time to digest and discuss the content, or run to get a snack.
I recommend you cover your eyes, scroll on Tubi, and watch whatever you land on. It could be a beautiful experience, or so bad it is good, but it will definitely open your eyes to a new media experience.