Ross Appleton talks Tubi UK after year one

  • Tubi UK launched in July 2024 and has seen viewership tick up month-by-month
  • Fandom-focused content helps Tubi differentiate in a competitive UK free streaming market
  • It plans to lean more heavily into social and influencer marketing this year

Fox-owned free ad-supported streaming TV service Tubi is making its mark across the pond after roughly one year in the UK market.

Purchased by Fox for $440 million back in 2020, Tubi has proved to be a little engine that could in North America, now counting 100 million monthly active users globally and 1 billion streaming hours in May alone. Tubi also regularly appears on Nielsen’s The Gauge monthly tracker - capturing 2.2% of total U.S. TV time in July.

With a quirky brand voice and eclectic content slate focused on fandoms, Tubi boasts a younger-skewing and diverse audience in the U.S. and in July 2024 entered the UK scene with hopes to replicate success and some of that approach in a new market.

It is highly competitive in the free space, and it’s something that we have to contend with in this market...I think we’re carving out a specific space for Tubi which is differentiated from that.
Ross Appleton, Tubi UK

 

StreamTV Insider sat down virtually with Ross Appleton, GM of Tubi UK, who joined the company last October after its European debut and was tasked with setting commercial and content strategy, scaling the company’s UK team, and growing Tubi’s brand presence and footprint in the market.

A long-time industry executive, Appleton joined Tubi UK from major UK broadcaster ITV, where he spent over a decade in senior roles. He was a member of the ITV executive leadership team, serving as launch director of its competing free streaming service ITVX and later head of operations for streaming, overseeing all aspects of ITV’s streaming business.

With Tubi in the UK for nearly 14 months and Appleton not quite yet at his first-year anniversary, the executive shared about efforts to-date and priorities going forward as his team works to grow the service into a leading free streamer in the market, telling StreamTV Insider, “we’re thrilled with where we’ve got to” in year one.

Ross Appleton Tubi UK headshot
Ross Appleton. (Tubi)

Introducing any new brand and service to a new market can be a challenge. And the UK streaming and entertainment field is highly competitive with plenty of services, both free and paid, available. But with a deep content catalog and personalized user experience available for free, Tubi’s brand and AVOD service appears to be finding its own base of British fans.

Tubi isn’t breaking out how many users it has in the UK at this point. That said, unsurprisingly, the UK base is still smaller than the U.S., according to Appleton, “but really fast growing” considering the relatively short time in market.

In the first six months of 2025 alone, he said Tubi viewing in the UK has grown by 35% and continues to trend upward each month. Since launch the AVOD has seen 250% growth in viewing.

“What’s really great to see is the returning viewers ticking up consistently, our hours of viewing ticking up consistently, and Tubi really cutting through with UK audiences and finding a fan base here,” Appleton said.

Porting US learnings, competing in a crowded UK free streaming space

As Tubi looks to carve out a name for itself in the UK, Appleton acknowledged there’s plenty to borrow from earlier success in the United States. But a key focus going forward is tailoring the brand and service more specifically to UK audiences to help stand out in a competitive free streaming market.

Part of the reason for expanding to the UK was a conviction that the core Tubi offering and what it’s all about would resonate with British audiences, he noted.

 

What’s really great to see is the returning viewers ticking up consistently, our hours of viewing ticking up consistently, and Tubi really cutting through with UK audiences and finding a fan base here.
Ross Appleton, Tubi UK

Some elements that have been big for Tubi in the US and that Appleton said are also working well with UK viewers include the product experience itself with machine learning-based personalization, alongside a wide and deep content catalog that taps into user fandoms – all available for free.

 

It’s also leveraging a distinct and fun brand vibe that Tubi has developed, but adapting messaging for a UK-specific voice.

The U.S. is a competitive streaming space but so is the UK – although there are market distinctions and some different dynamics at play.

Of course there are global SVODs like Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video (which have seen consumer appetite for ad-supported tiers in the UK in particular, per Ampere). Not to mention the rise of YouTube, which saw its UK in-home use as measured by Barb increase 13% year-over-year- to 39 minutes per day as of December 2024, according to Ofcom.

But one UK-distinct competition factor is the prevalence and presence of quality free TV from leading UK broadcasters, many of which have launched respective free streaming services of their own (known as broadcast video-on-demand or BVOD) – such as those from BBC, ITV and Channel 4.

In a collective effort, major UK public broadcasters came together through Everyone TV to launch the Freely free ad-supported streamer that’s integrated at the firmware level on many CTV devices.

Speaking to the popularity of this content, UK regulator Ofcom’s latest Media Nations report on the market found that despite declines in linear TV viewing, broadcaster content continues to make up most of in-home UK viewing, capturing 56% in 2024, with 25% of the market’s 16-34-year-old’s viewing dedicated to broadcaster content, helped by the growth in BVOD. 

As Caretta Research analyst Artemis Oikonomou previously told StreamTV Insider, “because the UK has a strong culture of commercial and public service broadcasting, high-quality, free TV is much more prevalent than in the U.S making it a challenging market in which to build an audience,” while adding that Tubi’s free and large library of American content and growing originals slate was likely to help efforts to capture UK viewers. 

90% of the content that we have is content you won’t find on other streaming services.
Ross Appleton, Tubi UK

 

When it comes to competition against BVOD services, Appleton acknowledged that UK broadcasters have really strong catalogs of content they’ve built up over decades that are linked to their linear TV lineups and certain IP. 

And while he said those players do a great job of serving their viewer base with the type of British-focused content broadcasters are known for, Tubi isn’t trying to replicate what’s already out there.

“Our intention is to offer something different to the viewers…and the real eclectic mix of content you can get on Tubi across all sorts of genres and spaces means that you can go really deep into whatever you’re into,” Appleton said.

Part of that differentiation is the scale of its catalog - which as of June had more than doubled since launch to 40,000 movie and TV episodes free on-demand.

However, it’s not just in terms of volume, but the fact that “90% of the content that we have is content you won’t find on other streaming services,” he noted.

Movies are a particular strength, where Appleton cited Ampere Analysis data that found Tubi offers 10-times more movies than what’s available from BVOD services.

“It is highly competitive in the free space, and it’s something that we have to contend with in this market,” Appleton noted. But “I think we’re carving out a specific space for Tubi which is differentiated from that.”

Also competing directly in the UK have been free streamers like Paramount’s Pluto TV and Amazon’s former Freevee, both of which felt early impacts from Tubi’s launch as the AVOD apparently bit into their user bases, according to prior analysis by Kantar.

Last October, Kantar’s Dominic Sunnebo, global strategic insights director of the Worldpanel Division, wrote that “early data from the [Tubi UK] launch suggests a heavy overlap between customers with existing services playing in this space – in particular Pluto TV and Freevee. Both services saw a reduction in the number of active viewers since Tubi’s launch, indicating an intense battle for screentime.”

Scaling up content, focused on fandoms

As it seeks to offer a differentiated content slate, Tubi has been expanding the catalog – again using some what’s worked for viewers in the U.S. but zeroing in on what hits the mark with UK audiences.

In year one, a “massive focus” for Tubi UK has been to continuously look at data and signals about what kind of content British audiences want, Appleton said.

Now with more than 13 months of viewing data and insights under its belt, the plan is to keep listening to viewers and “lean more into those areas and evolve the content proposition towards UK audiences” further.

Tubi came out of the gate in the UK with 20,000 movies and TV episodes available and has since expanded to 40,000. But it’s being thoughtful about how it grows the content slate.

“It is not just scaling up for scale sake,” Appleton emphasized. “It’s doing it in a considerate way in the areas and genres that we know and can see that resonate with UK audiences.

Very similar to the U.S., Tubi UK is “targeting fandoms that are perhaps underserved by some of the mainstream streamers,” he noted, but identifying those that work well for audiences in the market.

In the first year, Tubi found some overlap with genres that do well both the UK and US but also some differences.

So which genres are UK viewers cozying up to?

 

There’s a lot of content from all over the world that resonates really nicely with British audiences
Ross Appleton, Tubi UK

Appleton cited thriller and horror as two resonating in particular.

 

Those genres have “worked really well for us in the UK…we definitely see an over-index of that kind of content on our service,” he noted.

Bollywood and Nollywood are two other genres Tubi thought could resonate more with UK audiences given the demographic of the market versus the US (where it’s instead built up genres like Black cinema, for example), so it came out with a focused slate of titles at launch.

Appleton affirmed that those genres too have been really hitting the mark for Tubi in the UK.

Still, he noted the content proposition for the market hasn’t been completely solved yet and listening to viewers about which areas to lean in more heavily is a priority for the remainder of the year and into 2026.

Localized content not a priority

Content that resonates is a top priority for Tubi UK but having content that’s locally produced or features British actors isn’t a main focus for the free streamer, according to Appleton.

Tubi does have quite a bit of traditionally British content on the service but it’s not a main part of the content strategy (as mentioned, there are plenty of British-focused content options from traditional broadcasters) - although if it sees that type of content works for users, he said Tubi will lean more into it.

“Some of that [British content] does really well for us, but it’s not something that we think is the most important thing for Tubi in the UK. We think it’s just part of a wider content mix.”

Instead, fandoms and underserved types of content are more of its sweet spot.

“There’s a lot of content from all over the world that resonates really nicely with British audiences,” he said.

The larger Tubi is also taking a more global approach to originals now, and where they make sense for the UK market “then we’ll absolutely look to have Tubi Originals here,” Appleton affirmed.

It’s worth noting that while free ad-supported streamers (FAST) services in the U.S. offer up linear channels, Tubi UK is fully AVOD – primarily because Tubi US sees on-demand viewing as the lion’s share of consumption (previously disclosing 90% of viewing happens on-demand and more recently 95%.).

Per Appleton, Tubi will continue to review and consider expanding linear channels in the future if there’s opportunity but is currently fully focused on AVOD for the UK market.

Brand building in a new market

Similar to the content slateTubi’s leaning on success in the US but also looking to evolve and adapt the brand voice in the UK to make sure it’s specific for the market rather than just rinse and repeat.

Appleton noted that in any industry, but streaming in particular, a new entrant doesn’t have the same brand recognition, awareness and equity as services that have been there for a long time.

And while it’s no easy task to be a newcomer in the UK, he prefers to see it as an opportunity, saying “it’s been a lot of fun to be here and be part of a challenger brand in the UK.”

In terms of brand building, Tubi with its “content rabbit hole” and fandom-focus already has a bit of a distinct and off-beat vibe – something it wants to port in the UK presence.

“Tubi has got a real fun and unique brand in the streaming area,” Appleton said. “We like to have a brand that is a bit more fun and quirky and doesn’t take itself too seriously.”

Tubi benefits from strong brand foundations it built in the U.S., which he said they’ve already seen work nicely for the free streamer in the UK. 

“Of course it’s a challenge, but it’s one that we embrace and we think that we’ve done well in the first 12 months.” Appleton said.

Leaning into social, influencer marketing

Year one at Tubi UK involved a major launch campaign as well as marketing efforts that primarily focused on trying to get Tubi in front of viewers on their TVs. That was primarily through on-platform marketing with device distribution partners like Amazon Fire TV, Samsung, Roku and others.

Those type of efforts will continue but Appleton also knows they’ve got “quite a lot of headroom and space to grow and to increase that brand awareness” and said Tubi has all sorts of plans over the next 12 months to do so.

Specifically, now and in the coming year Tubi plans to lean much more heavily into social and influencer marketing, Appleton said.

It just recently stood up Tubi UK-specific social handles and is working with an agency to drive social and influencer marketing efforts forward in the UK, using a market-specific voice to make it “much more targeted.”

And it will get behind certain “content moments” later in the year, along with traditional CTV marketing methods that he said Tubi knows is effective.

Still, prior experience launching new streaming services has shown Appleton that brand building and awareness takes time.

“It’s not something that you can move the dial on really quickly. It just it takes a kind of persistent and consistent approach,” he explained, adding one wants to keep adapting and feel fresh in market to make sure the brand resonates with audiences. “Kind of learn and listen and then double down in the areas that you can see start to work.”

Expanding device distribution with local partners

As mentioned, on-platform marketing has been part of the approach for Tubi UK and distribution in the market is another part of the picture in the effort to build scale.

At launch Tubi came out on global CTV distribution partners like Samsung, Amazon and Roku, and since then has been working hard to extend that footprint with more local partners and players, which have more prevalence in European markets like the UK than U.S.

It marked traction, expanding to Netgem and TiVo, and is working to secure more distribution partners to fill some remaining existing gaps in the UK, Appleton noted.

As Tubi continues to build presence in the UK, he confirmed the AVOD will also explore opportunities around potential partnerships, including with content players.

Teaming up is something other competing players have pursued as they look to build presence and viewers in new markets, such as a July content deal between Disney and ITVX that involves the two sharing select content across each other’s respective streaming services in the UK.

Key UK demos tuning in to Tubi

With distribution and marketing efforts in the first year, Tubi UK is seeing similar trends in the U.S. in terms of attracting younger audiences.

More than 50% of its UK viewers are Gen Z or Millennials, which Appleton said is “great to see.”

“That definitely is a younger skewing audience than many other services,” he noted. “So we're really pleased about that.”

As to why a younger audience is tuning in, he believes there’s an appetite among those demos in the UK for free steaming.

“I think a lot of them have grown up watching adverts, whether that’s on YouTube or elsewhere,” Appleton commented.

And the trade-off of watching ads for high-quality content “is something that that demographic seems to be happy with,” he added.

In what could bode well for the AVOD player, consumers in the UK in general seem more open to the ads-for-content trade-off than other parts of Europe and keen to keep an eye on costs when it comes to entertainment.

It’s been a lot of fun to be here and be part of a challenger brand in the UK.
Ross Appleton, Tubi UK

 

Per Ampere’s Q1 2025 Media Consumer survey, “UK Internet households were 18% more likely than the Western European average to say they’re willing to see ads in return for cheaper subscription costs, and 8% more likely to indicate cost as a churn motivator.”

Additionally, Appleton attributed Tubi’s younger-skewing audience to the content slate, where the service can offer a deep catalog even if viewers are into “something that’s a bit wild or wacky or off the wall,” as well as the ease and personalization of the platform.

To be sure, it doesn’t want to be a brand that’s seen as keeping older demos at bay, where Appleton said the AVOD believes it has content appealing to everyone – but grabbing those advertiser-coveted demos is particularly nice to see.

“Obviously they're harder to reach, so it's fantastic from our perspective, on the commercial side, when speaking to advertisers and agencies,” he commented.

Setting up monetization pipes, advertiser response

As a free streamer, advertising revenue is the main monetization mechanism for Tubi and Appleton said “the response has been really positive” – not least because of those younger-skewing audience demographics one-year in.

Per Ofcom’s report, the UK commercial TV and online video sector saw 3.3% growth last year with revenues reaching £17.1bn (about $23.1 billion). Broadcaster advertising-based video-on-demand saw revenues exceed the £1 billion mark for the first time in 2024, with BVOD now accounting for 25% of total UK broadcaster advertising revenue.

It’s an advertising market that Tubi – which itself has been on target to surpass a $1 billion threshold across markets – wants to ensure it can tap into.

During the first year, much of the UK effort was about standing up the pipes and infrastructure to enable and drive monetization.

Tubi has partnered with Comcast Advertising and its FreeWheel unit, as well as additional SSP and backfill partners, in the UK.

Similar to viewing, Appleton said Tubi UK has seen the “monetization capabilities increase and tick up on a month-by-month basis as we put that infrastructure in place” and starts to generate awareness on the B2B side, which is another key focus area for the streamer.

In addition to audience and the premium nature of content that’s being delivered across the living room screen, he said Tubi’s been well received by advertisers because of “the data signals we pass and the transparency we provide.”

That’s a big factor for advertisers and from a commercial perspective Appleton said Tubi provides them with metrics and data that then allows partners to sell against particular audience targets.

Tubi’s primarily working with partners to do the heavy ad sales lifting and at this time isn’t scaling up its own commercial sales team in the UK.

Looking ahead, one priority Appleton cited is building B2B awareness and driving demand into Tubi, as it seeks to prove to advertisers the value the AVOD can bring with its unique audience and demographics.

The focus now and going into 2026 is to continue to grow and scale in the UK, both on the viewership and commercial side, and to keep evolving the content proposition to cater more squarely to UK audiences.

Tubi UK is just freshly one-year-old but “we’ve seen some really nice cut through with our brand, and it seems to really resonate with the fans and viewers that we have, so that’s great to see,” Appleton said. “We know we just need to keep pushing forward with that.”

Editor’s note: Ross Appleton is a member of the advisory board for StreamTV Europe, an event held in Lisbon, April 13-15, 2026 that is supported by StreamTV Insider and produced by owner Questex.