Why Tubi is secretly the one streaming service you need right now

As Black Lives Matter was gaining momentum in early June, Tubi, the largest free, ad-supported movie and TV streaming platform, expressed solidarity with the movement by creating a vertical called United Against Inequality. Among the titles that were curated for users were Ryan Coogler’s 2013 indie hit Fruitvale Station, about the killing of a young Black man, Oscar Grant, by a BART police officer in 2009; the documentary Harriet Tubman: They Called Her Moses; and the 1979 miniseries Freedom Road, which stars Muhammad Ali as an ex-slave in 1870s Virginia who gets elected to the U.S. Senate.

None of them were Tubi originals—there’s no such thing—but the move highlighted the way that the company is able to take its vast library of over 23,000 titles and nimbly present them to users in a way that feels fresh and relevant.

Indeed, a number of the UAI titles shot up Tubi’s most-popular list soon after the category debuted.

At a time when entertainment companies are placing more emphasis on showcasing work from underrepresented groups (Netflix has its Strong Black Lead category) in keeping with the political and social justice currents sweeping the nation, Tubi’s DNA makes it more culturally relevant than ever.

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