Westworld among 200-plus WBD titles heading to AVoD via Tubi, Roku

Tubi and The Roku Channel have both acquired Westworld for FAST channels

Warner Bros Discovery (WBD)’s AVoD and FAST strategy is coming more clearly into focus after the company unveiled far-reaching deals with ad-supported giants Tubi and Roku.

Fox-owned Tubi is set to launch 14 Warner Bros-branded FAST (free, ad-supported streaming television) channels, which will carry titles such as Westworld, Legendary, FBoy Island and The Nevers. In total, the deal covers 225 titles and more than 2,000 hours of content.

The deal with The Roku Channel also covers around 2,000 hours of content including Westworld, The Bachelor, Cake Boss, Say Yes to the Dress and F-Boy Island.

In both cases, the deals only include the US market. Tubi said the WBD content will begin rolling out on its service on February 1, while Roku said its roll-out will begin in the spring.

New FAST channels set to launch on Tubi in the US include WB TV Watchlist, which will feature premium series including Westworld, Raised by Wolves, The Nevers and The Time Traveler’s Wife; WB TV Keeping It Real, carrying unscripted series such as Legendary, FBoy Island and Finding Magic Mike; and WB TV All Together, focused on family-friendly series including Head of the Class.

Other Warner Bros-branded FAST channels set to launch via Tubi include baking-focused WB TV Sweet Escapes (Cake Boss, Extreme Cake Makers, Cake Wars); pet channel WB TV Paws & Claws (Dogs 101, My Cat from Hell); WB TV Slice of Life (Extreme Couponing, Breaking Amish, My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding); real estate and interior design channel WB TV Welcome Home (Caribbean Life, Buying Hawaii, Bahamas Life); WB TV At the Movies, featuring classic films from the 70s, 80s and 90s; and WB TV How To (How It’s Made, How to Build Everything, How the Earth Works).

Tubi is also launching WB TV Supernatural with programming including Ghost Brothers, Paranormal Lockdown and Ghost Asylum; WB TV Crime Series (Murder Chose Me, A Crime to Remember, Murder Comes to Town); WB TV Mysteries (Mysteries at the Museum, Mysteries at the Monument, Off Limits); WB TV Love & Marriage (Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta, Four Weddings, A Wedding Story); WB TV Family Rules; WB TV Keeping It Real (The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise, Finding Magic Mike, Fboy Island); and WB TV All Together (Eight is Enough, Better With You, Head of the Class).

WBD has been pulling several of its titles off HBO Max in recent months as it looks to monetise the shows on third-party platforms. The announcement comes six weeks after it confirmed plans to license proprietary titles to third-party FAST services.

“Warner Bros Discovery has a catalogue 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,” said Adam Lewinson, chief content officer, Tubi. “

From critically acclaimed and groundbreaking to lighthearted and addicting, our new WB-branded FAST channels and on-demand offering will speak to each of Tubi’s distinct audience communities.”

In a separate announcement, Roku’s soon-to-leave VP of programming Rob Holmes said: “As FAST continues to explode in popularity amongst cord-cutters, we’re seeing content players increasingly shift their focus towards capturing this audience, by bringing some of their best stuff to FAST. 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.”