Ad-supported free VOD streamer Tubi announced a deal with Vidaa International, a subsidiary of Hisense — the world’s third-largest TV maker — to bring its service to Hisense’s Vidaa platform.
Beginning in the spring of 2020, Tubi users will be able to watch the company’s library of over 20,000 movies and TV shows on new Hisense TVs powered by Vidaa, which will come with the Tubi app preloaded and featured on the home screen.
In addition to Hisense televisions, Tubi is available on the web (at tubi.tv); Android and iOS mobile devices; smart TVs from Sony and Samsung; Roku players; Apple TV; Google’s Chromecast and Android TV; Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s PlayStation 4; Amazon Echo Show and Amazon Fire TV; Comcast Xfinity X1; and Cox Contour.
In September 2019, Tubi announced that its users had streamed over 132 million hours of content during the month, up 40% from May. The San Francisco-based company has said it plans to launch the AVOD service in the U.K. in 2020; it’s currently available in the U.S., Canada and Australia.
Tubi’s content lineup now tops 20,000 titles, up from around 15,000 a few months ago. Actually, when Tubi first launched in 2014 it claimed to have 20,000 TV shows and movies. Since then, the company has entered into licensing deals for premium, name-brand content with studios including MGM and Lionsgate (which are investors) as well as NBCUniversal, Paramount and Warner Bros.
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“We’re excited to expand Tubi’s device footprint to include Hisense televisions with the new Vidaa platform, continuing our mission to make entertainment more accessible to everyone,” said Michael Ahiakpor, Tubi’s chief product officer. “Hisense has been a global leader in consumer electronics and is a perfect partner as we ramp up our international expansion in 2020.”
Hisense’s next generation of ULED TVs with the Vidaa platform feature Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos and the proprietary Vidaa U4 smart TV operating system.