Tubi launches on Amazon Echo Show

AVOD Tubi has launched on Amazon Echo Show, becoming the first such streamer to be offered on Amazon’s smart screen devices. 

The streamer, which saw users stream over 132 million hours of content between May and September, will launch in the UK in 2020. When it launches, it will offer Brits over 44,000 hours of ad-supported content such as The Aviator, How To Train Your Dragon and Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill duology.

In addition to Amazon Echo Show, Tubi will be available in the country on the web, Android and iOS mobile devices, and on OTT devices such as Amazon Fire TV, Sony TVs, Samsung TVs Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

Michael Ahiakpor, chief product officer at Tubi said: “We are committed to making great content accessible for everyone, which is why we’re proud to be the first AVOD service available on Amazon Echo Show. We’re also excited that Tubi users will now be able to use Alexa to conveniently find and watch movies and TV shows.”

Speaking at MIPCOM, Farhad Massoudi, founder and CEO, Tubi, said that Tubi is a “technology first company that focuses on media” rather than a “content first” company like the SVOD players.

Massoudi said that “technology is disrupting entertainment”, citing the example of the music industry, where streaming now accounts for 60% of revenues in a market that is growing after the “11 years of slump” after a slow start in embracing digital.

Currently, Prime Video is the primary video platform on Amazon Echo Show devices, with the company coming to blows with Google over access to YouTube. Other mainstream streamers, such as Netflix and Hulu are not available on the range of devices. 

While Tubi will boast the claim of being the first AVOD service to launch on Echo Show, the device is not really viewed as a video-viewing device by the company. The largest screen size offered by an Echo Show device is only 10-inches, with the smallest being 5-inches.