Tubi’s 2025 Surge. How Free Streaming Is Changing the Game
In 2025, Tubi, the free ad-supported streaming service owned by Fox Corporation, is not just growing; it’s reshaping the streaming landscape. Once considered a niche alternative to subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) platforms, Tubi has reached significant milestones that position it as a serious competitor for viewership and advertising investment, particularly among younger and cost-conscious audiences.
Historic Growth in Users and Engagement
In June 2025, Tubi announced that it had surpassed 100 million monthly active users, a major milestone for any streaming platform but especially notable for an ad-based service with no subscription fees. During May 2025 alone, the platform logged over 1 billion hours of total viewing time, a clear indicator of deep viewer engagement.
“In 2025, Tubi surpassed 100 million monthly active users, marking one of the fastest growth trajectories in the free ad-supported streaming segment.”
According to Nielsen’s The Gauge, Tubi accounted for 2.2% of total U.S. television viewing minutes in May 2025, the highest share in the service’s history. This share of total viewing time highlights not only sheer scale but also how free, ad-supported video on demand (AVOD) services are capturing attention previously dominated by cable and traditional TV.
“In 2025, Tubi surpassed 100 million monthly active users, marking one of the fastest growth Streaming now leads total TV viewing, and Tubi’s measurable share shows that free, ad-supported platforms are becoming part of mainstream consumption, not just alternatives.rajectories in the free ad-supported streaming segment.”
A New Kind of Streaming Audience
Unlike subscription models that rely on paid memberships, Tubi’s growth has been fueled by accessibility and convenience. The platform’s free-to-watch model appeals to younger viewers, more than half of its audience falls into Gen Z and Millennial age groups, and these viewers often identify as “cord-cutters” or “cord-nevers,” meaning they have never subscribed to traditional pay-TV services. According to audience studies, 67% of Tubi’s users are in these categories, underscoring how free streaming appeals to shifting consumption habits.
…According to Cord Cutters News
Tubi’s expansive content library includes nearly hundreds of thousands of movies and TV episodes as well as around 400 original productions, which further helps it stand out among ad-supported competitors.
Why Advertisers Are Paying Attention
Tubi’s rapid rise is not only about viewership numbers; it’s also about advertiser value. With traditional TV viewership shrinking and cable audiences declining, brands are increasingly looking for ways to reach consumers where they are spending time, online and on streaming platforms. As streaming reaches historic heights across all platforms, Nielsen reports that for the first time streaming usage surpassed the combined share of broadcast and cable in total TV usage.
…According to Nielsen News Center
Because Tubi’s audience skews younger and is already accustomed to ad-supported models, advertisers see it as a powerful channel to reach engaged users without the friction of subscription requirements. This dynamic suggests that Tubi’s continued growth could influence advertising strategies across the wider industry.
Competing with Major Streaming Names
While subscription giants like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video still lead in overall attention and revenue, Tubi’s performance in 2025 demonstrates that free streaming is no longer at the fringe of the industry. In the broader category of free ad-supported television (FAST), Tubi stands alongside services like The Roku Channel and Pluto TV, collectively contributing millions of hours to total streaming viewership each month.
In fact, industry data shows that Roku’s free channel reached an even larger share of viewing time later in 2025, but Tubi’s growth remains significant given its free-only model and young audience base.
What This Means for the Future of Streaming
Tubi’s growth in 2025 points to a broader evolution in how audiences consume video content. The service’s success demonstrates that:
- Free, ad-supported streaming is no longer niche, it can generate massively engaged audiences.
- Younger viewers are driving change, valuing accessibility over subscriptions.
- Advertisers are reallocating budgets toward platforms that deliver real engagement and measurable attention.
- Traditional viewership models are weakening, with streaming surpassing legacy TV formats in overall audience time spent.
Tubi’s rapid growth in the U.S. raises an important question: why is a platform with this level of adoption still largely limited to one market? The answer lies not in demand, but in complexity. Tubi operates primarily in the United States due to licensing agreements, regional content rights, advertising infrastructure, and regulatory frameworks that differ significantly across regions. Unlike subscription platforms that rely on direct user payments, ad-supported streaming services depend heavily on local advertising ecosystems, audience measurement standards, and content distribution rights, all of which require country-specific partnerships.
Despite these limitations, Tubi’s current trajectory suggests significant international potential. The same economic pressures driving U.S. viewers toward free streaming, subscription fatigue, rising costs, and fragmented content libraries, are equally present in Europe and other global markets. In many regions, especially across Europe, audiences are already accustomed to free-to-air television models supported by advertising, making the transition to FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television) platforms a natural evolution rather than a disruptive shift.
From a strategic perspective, Tubi’s model is highly scalable. As advertising technology becomes more global and content licensing strategies evolve, platforms like Tubi could expand into Europe through localized versions, regional content partnerships, or hybrid models that combine global libraries with country-specific offerings. Netflix and YouTube demonstrated years ago that scale follows accessibility, once infrastructure, localization and rights are in place, adoption can happen quickly when friction is removed. Even if Tubi itself does not immediately expand beyond the U.S., its success sends a clear signal to the industry: free, ad-supported streaming is no longer experimental, it is the future of mass-market video consumption. This opens the door for similar platforms, regional FAST services, or broadcaster-backed streaming apps to emerge across Europe and beyond, applying the same principles of accessibility, simplicity and advertiser-funded content. In this sense, Tubi may be less important as a single global brand and more important as proof that the streaming market is entering a new phase, one where reach and usability matter more than subscriptions alone.
High Potential of Accessibility
[tooltips content=”Germany has seen increasing adoption of ad-supported streaming tiers, signalling advertiser and consumer openness to AVOD/FAST business models.
Source“]Germany[/tooltips]
[tooltips content=”France shows significant weekly use of ad-supported (AVOD/FAST) streaming services among viewers, reflecting strong acceptance of free, advertising-funded video models.
Source“]France[/tooltips]
[tooltips content=”Italian viewers are part of a broader European trend toward increased engagement with ad-supported (AVOD/FAST) streaming services, indicating growing acceptance of free, advertising-funded viewing models.
Source“]Italy[/tooltips]
[tooltips content=”Spain shows strong adoption of free, ad-supported streaming alongside growing connected-TV usage. Industry research indicates Spain leads Europe in FAST adoption, highlighting strong viewer engagement with ad-funded streaming models.
Source“]Spain[/tooltips]
[tooltips content=”Ireland’s streaming market is expanding alongside broader European rollouts of ad-supported streaming tiers, reflecting growing acceptance of advertising-funded viewing models.
Source“]Ireland[/tooltips]
[tooltips content=”Brazil combines a large population with rapid growth in digital and connected-TV advertising, alongside strong mobile and smart-TV usage. High price sensitivity among viewers increases the appeal of free, ad-supported streaming models.
Source 1 · Source 2“]Brazil[/tooltips]
[tooltips content=”Chile is part of broader Latin American digital video adoption trends, where streaming usage and advertising-supported video models are gaining traction alongside improving digital infrastructure.
Source“]Chile[/tooltips]
Medium Potential of Accessibility
[tooltips content=”The Netherlands benefits from Europe’s expanding free, ad-supported (FAST/AVOD) streaming market, supported by high broadband penetration and widespread smart-device adoption.
Source“]Netherlands[/tooltips]
[tooltips content=”Swedish streaming services have launched hybrid and ad-supported (HVOD) tiers, with households increasingly subscribing to lower-cost, advertising-funded options that are helping drive overall streaming market growth.
Source“]Sweden[/tooltips]
[tooltips content=”Norway shows strong adoption of ad-supported and hybrid streaming models, with a growing number of households subscribing to advertising-funded tiers. This reflects a supportive environment for further ad-supported streaming growth.
Source“]Norway[/tooltips]
[tooltips content=”Denmark’s streaming market is expanding rapidly, with strong adoption of ad-supported and hybrid (HVOD) streaming models. More than a quarter of Danish households now use at least one ad-supported service, supporting continued growth in advertising-funded streaming.
Source“]Denmark[/tooltips]
[tooltips content=”In Finland, 15% of households subscribe to at least one paid ad-supported streaming service (HVoD), showing growing adoption of advertising-funded tiers even if penetration trails some Nordic neighbours.
Source“]Finland[/tooltips]
[tooltips content=”Poland has a rapidly developing ad-supported streaming market, supported by high internet penetration and growing connected-TV usage. Industry research tracks Poland as a distinct FAST/AVOD market, indicating increasing commercial interest in advertising-funded streaming models.
Source“]Poland[/tooltips]
[tooltips content=”Colombia’s digital video market is expanding, with growing consumption of ad-supported online video and increasing advertiser investment in digital media. These trends support gradual adoption of advertising-funded streaming models as infrastructure and monetization improve.
Source“]Colombia[/tooltips]
[tooltips content=”Japan has an advanced digital advertising market and strong streaming usage, with ad-supported video services such as Rakuten TV operating locally. Language localization and content licensing complexity continue to shape the pace of ad-supported streaming adoption.
Source“]Japan[/tooltips]
[tooltips content=”Saudi Arabia has a young, streaming-first population with high smartphone and smart-TV adoption, alongside rapid growth in digital and video advertising spend. These conditions support increasing interest in ad-supported streaming models.
Source“]Saudi Arabia[/tooltips]
Low Potential of Accessibility
[tooltips content=”Portugal has high streaming usage and strong broadband penetration, but its small national advertising market limits the revenue potential needed to justify near-term expansion of large FAST platforms like Tubi, despite clear long-term audience interest.
Source“]Portugal[/tooltips]
[tooltips content=”Belgium’s digital infrastructure and streaming usage are strong, but its split Dutch- and French-speaking markets increase localization and licensing complexity, reducing near-term feasibility for U.S.-centric FAST platforms like Tubi despite future potential.
Source“]Belgium[/tooltips]
[tooltips content=”Austria benefits from high internet access and streaming adoption, but its relatively small standalone market, closely overlapping with Germany, limits the commercial incentive for separate FAST platform expansion like Tubi in the near term.
Source“]Austria[/tooltips]
[tooltips content=”The Czech Republic has high internet access and rising streaming consumption, but its digital advertising and connected-TV monetization remain less developed than in larger markets, reducing near-term viability for large FAST platforms like Tubi despite longer-term potential.
Source“]Czech Republic[/tooltips]
[tooltips content=”Hungary’s streaming usage continues to grow, but lower advertising spend per capita and constrained purchasing power limit near-term monetization potential for large ad-supported platforms like Tubi, despite long-term audience growth prospects.
Source“]Hungary[/tooltips]
[tooltips content=”Romania shows strong internet adoption and rising video consumption, but low digital advertising CPMs and limited brand investment restrict near-term viability for large FAST platforms like Tubi, even as the market matures over time.
Source“]Romania[/tooltips]
[tooltips content=”Greece has growing streaming interest and widespread internet access, but ongoing economic pressures and volatile advertising investment make near-term expansion of large FAST platforms like Tubi less attractive despite longer-term recovery potential.
Source“]Greece[/tooltips]
[tooltips content=”India has massive video consumption and a strong ad-supported media culture, but intense competition from entrenched local platforms and heavy content localization requirements complicate near-term entry for U.S.-focused FAST services like Tubi.
Source“]India[/tooltips]
[tooltips content=”Bulgaria has improving internet access and growing online video use, but a limited domestic advertiser base and low digital ad spend constrain near-term monetization for large FAST platforms like Tubi despite gradual market development.
Source“]Bulgaria[/tooltips]
[tooltips content=”Croatia’s streaming usage is increasing alongside solid broadband access, but the country’s small population and limited advertising scale reduce the commercial case for near-term FAST platform expansion like Tubi, despite long-term niche potential.
Source“]Croatia[/tooltips]
[tooltips content=”Slovenia has high internet penetration and strong digital adoption, but its very small market size and limited advertising volume significantly restrict near-term opportunities for large FAST platforms like Tubi, even though audience readiness exists.
Source“]Slovenia[/tooltips]
[tooltips content=”Peru shows growing internet access and increasing online video consumption, but its developing digital advertising market and limited monetization scale reduce near-term viability for large FAST platforms like Tubi, despite longer-term potential as infrastructure and ad investment improve.
Source“]Peru[/tooltips]
[tooltips content=”South Africa has the most advanced digital advertising market in Africa, but uneven smart-TV penetration and income disparity limit the immediate scale required for large FAST platforms like Tubi, despite strong long-term potential.
Source“]South Africa[/tooltips]
[tooltips content=”Nigeria has one of the world’s largest and most engaged mobile video audiences, but limited broadband infrastructure and very low digital advertising CPMs delay near-term feasibility for FAST platforms like Tubi despite enormous long-term upside.
Source“]Nigeria[/tooltips]
Classification is based on advertising market maturity, connected-TV penetration, content licensing complexity, and regulatory feasibility. Categories reflect short- to mid-term potential, not long-term demand.