UPDATED: Roku and Fox Corp.’s Tubi are set to bring a big bucket of free, ad-supported content from Warner Bros. Discovery to their streaming platforms.
Roku and Tubi are the first two partners for WBD’s new free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels. The deals come after Warner Bros. Discovery in December announced that it was removing several shows from HBO Max — including “Westworld,” “The Nevers,” “Raised by Wolves,” “FBoy Island,” “Legendary,” “Finding Magic Mike,” “Head of the Class” and “The Time Traveler’s Wife” — to license them to third-party FAST partners.
Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav told analysts in November that the company would be “aggressively attacking” the low end of the streaming market with its own FAST offerings in 2023. “As a company with the largest film and TV library in the industry, we have a unique opportunity to increase our addressable market and drive real value, and we plan to move quickly,” Zaslav said.
On the Roku Channel, WBD’s FAST channels are set to launch in the spring of 2023, featuring titles from across the media company’s portfolio, including “Westworld,” “The Bachelor,” “Cake Boss,” “Say Yes to the Dress” and “F-Boy Island.” In addition, the Roku Channel will add about 2,000 hours of on-demand content featuring hundreds of Warner Bros. Discovery’s TV series and movies. That content will come from WBD’s HBO, HBO Max, Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Television and more.
Similarly, Tubi announced a content deal with Warner Bros. Discovery that will bring 14 WB-branded FAST channels and more than 225 ad-supported VOD titles — totaling over 2,000 hours — to the platform.
On Tubi, content will begin rolling out as early as Wednesday (Feb. 1), continuing throughout the month. Tubi will launch three new curated FAST channels — WB TV Watchlist, WB TV Keeping It Real and WB TV All Together — which will include all seasons of series including “Westworld,” “Raised by Wolves,” “Legendary,” “FBoy Island,” “The Nevers,” “Finding Magic Mike,” “Head of the Class” and “The Time Traveler’s Wife.”
Tubi also will add 11 other FAST channels from Warner Bros. Discovery centered on genres including lifestyles, homes, classic movies, education, mysteries and weddings. New titles across Tubi’s expanded linear FAST and AVOD lineup will include such series as “Cake Boss,” “My Cat From Hell,” “Breaking Amish,” “Caribbean Life,” “How It’s Made,” “Paranormal Lockdown,” “The Tomorrow People” and “My Five Wives,” as well as select seasons of “The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette” and “Bachelor in Paradise,” in addition to films including “The Astronaut’s Wife,” “For Your Consideration” and “Lord of the Flies.”
As Warner Bros. Discovery launches into the FAST segment, it’s also gearing up to debut a merged HBO Max-Discovery+ platform starting in the U.S. this spring. The company hasn’t announced details on pricing, packaging or a name although “Max” has emerged as the leading contender.
“We love working with world-class, cutting-edge partners like the Roku Channel. Their innovative platforms provide us with new ways to bring our valuable content to fans across the country,” David Decker, president of content sales for Warner Bros. Discovery, said in a statement. Regarding Tubi, he said, “Tubi’s innovative platform and these new channels are one more way we are bringing Warner Bros. Discovery’s vast array of content to our fans. Tubi is an incredible client, and we’re excited to expand our relationship with these new channels.”
Adam Lewinson, Tubi’s chief content officer, said in a statement, “Warner Bros. Discovery has a catalog 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.”
Rob Holmes, Roku’s VP of programming, commented: “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. We’re delighted to be one of Warner Bros. Discovery’s inaugural FAST partners, and we look forward to introducing its incredible TV series, films and entertainment brands to a whole new audience on the Roku Channel.”
Holmes is set to depart Roku in March after six years. David Eilenberg, currently head of Roku originals, will become head of content across all of Roku Media under division president Charlie Collier, the former CEO of Fox Entertainment who joined the company last fall in a signal of its stepped-up focus on content.
Here’s a list of the 14 new Warner Bros. Discovery FAST channels:
- WB TV Watchlist: premium TV shows series including “Westworld,” “Raised by Wolves,” “The Nevers,” and “The Time Traveler’s Wife”
- WB TV Keeping It Real: Reality shows including “The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette,” “Bachelor in Paradise,” “Finding Magic Mike” and “Fboy Island”
- WB TV All Together: shows with “characters who feel like family” including “Eight Is Enough,” “Better With You” and “Head of the Class”
- WB TV Sweet Escapes: baking competition shows including “Cake Boss,” “Extreme Cake Makers” and “Cake Wars”
- WB TV Paws & Claws: pet shows including “Dogs 101” and “My Cat from Hell”
- WB TV Slice of Life: series following people from “all corners of the world” including “Extreme Couponing,” “Breaking Amish” and “My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding”
- WB TV Welcome Home: Real estate and interior design shows including “Caribbean Life,” “Buying Hawaii,” and “Bahamas Life”
- WB TV At the Movies: Selection of classic films from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s
- WB TV How To: “curiosity-inspiring” series including “How It’s Made,” “How to Build Everything” and “How the Earth Works”
- WB TV Supernatural: shows including “Ghost Brothers,” “Paranormal Lockdown” and “Ghost Asylum”
- WB TV Crime Series: shows including “Murder Chose Me,” “A Crime to Remember,” and “Murder Comes to Town”
- WB TV Mysteries: shows like “Mysteries at the Museum,” “Mysteries at the Monument” and “Off Limits”
- WB TV Love & Marriage: shows including “Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta,” “Four Weddings” and “A Wedding Story”
- WB TV Family Rules: series about real-life families including “Long Lost Family,” “The Little Couple” and “My Five Wives”
VIP+ Analysis: What WBD Rivals Can See in Its Streaming Plan
