UPDATED: Year and Fox Corp. Pipes are ready to bring a big bucket of free and ad-supported content from Discovery of Warner Bros. to their platforms.
Roku and Tubi are the first two partners in WBD’s new free-to-air and ad-supported (FAST) streaming TV channels. The deals come after Warner Bros. Discovery announced in December 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” – for their grant a license for third-party FAST partners.
The head of Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav told analysts in November that the company would “aggressively attack” the bottom of the streaming market with its own FAST offering in 2023. “As the company with the largest library of movies and industry, we have a unique opportunity to grow our addressable market and drive real value, and we plan to move quickly,” said Zaslav.
On the Roku Channel, WBD’s FAST Channels are set to launch in Spring 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.” Additionally, the Roku Channel will add approximately 2,000 hours of on-demand content including hundreds of Warner Bros. TV series and movies. Discovery as part of the pact. This content will come from HBO from WBD, 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 which will bring 14 WB-branded FAST channels and over 225 ad-supported VOD titles – totaling over 2,000 hours – to the platform.
On Tubi, content will begin rolling out on February 1 and will continue throughout the month. Tubi will launch three new curated FAST channels – WB TV Reality, WB TV Series and WB TV Family – which will include all seasons “Westworld”, “Raised by Wolves”, “Legendary”, “FBoy Island”, “The Nevers”, ” Finding Magic Mike”, “Head of the Class” and “The Time Traveler’s Wife”.
Additionally, Tubi will feature 11 other FAST channels from Warner Bros. Discovery focused on genres such as Lifestyles, Homes, Classic Movies, Education, Mysteries and Weddings. New titles in Tubi’s expanded linear channel and AVOD offering will include series such 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 certain seasons of “The Bachelor”, “The Bachelorette” and “Bachelor in Paradise”, in addition to films such as “The Astronaut’s Wife”, ” For Your Consideration” and “Lord of the Flies.”
While Warner Bros. Discovery is embarking on the FAST segment, it is also preparing for its debut a merged HBO Max-Discovery+ platform starting in the US this spring. The company has yet to announce details on pricing, packaging, or a name, though “Max” is considered the main competitor.
“We love working with world-class cutting-edge partners like the Roku channel. Their innovative platforms give us new ways to deliver our valuable content to fans across the country,” said David Decker, president of content sales for Warner Bros. Discovery, in a press release. Regarding Tubi, he said, “Tubi’s innovative platform and these new channels are another way for us to bring the vast array of content from Warner Bros. Discovery to our fans. Tubi is an amazing customer, and we are 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 fans can’t get enough of and Tubi proudly brings many of these recent Warner Bros. Discovery hits to the available to new audiences this month.”
Rob Holmes, Roku’s Vice President of Programming, commented, “The rapid expansion of premium content on FAST is a win for the viewer and content owner, as well as advertisers looking to reach these audiences through a well-known program. We are delighted to be one of the first FAST partners of Warner Bros. Discovery, and we can’t wait to bring its incredible TV series, movies and entertainment brands to a whole new audience on the Roku Channel.
Holmes is expected to leave Roku in March after six years. David Eilenberg, currently Head of Roku Originals, will become Head of Content for all of Roku Media reporting to the Division President Charlie Collier, the former CEO of Fox Entertainment who joined the company last fall in a signal of his heightened focus on content.
Here is a list of the 14 new Warner Bros. channels. Discovery FAST:
- WB TV Series: high-end TV series including ‘Westworld’, ‘Raised by Wolves’, ‘The Nevers’ and ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’
- WB Reality TV: unscripted television series, including “Legendary”, “FBoy Island”, and “Finding Magic Mike”
- WB TV family: collection of “family” series including “Head of the Class”
- WB TV Sweet Escapes: baking contests, including “Cake Boss”, “Extreme Cake Makers” and “Cake Wars”
- WB TV legs and claws: pet shows, including “Dogs 101” and “My Cat from Hell”
- WB TV slice of life: series following people from “every corner of the world”, including “Extreme Couponing”, “Breaking Amish” and “My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding”
- WB TV Welcome Home: Real estate and home decor shows including “Caribbean Life”, “Buying Hawaii” and “Bahamas Life”
- WB TV At the cinema: Selection of classic films from the 70s, 80s and 90s
- WB TV Comment: “Curiosity Inspiring” series including “How It’s Made”, “How to Build Everything” and “How the Earth Works”
- WB TV Supernatural: shows such as “Ghost Brothers”, “Paranormal Lockdown”, and “Ghost Asylum”
- WB TV crime series: shows such as “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 and Marriage: shows such as “Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta”, “Four Weddings”, and “A Wedding Story”
- WB TV Family Rules: series about real families, including “Long Lost Family”, “The Little Couple” and “My Five Wives”
- WB TV remains real: Reality shows such as “The Bachelor”, “The Bachelorette”, “Bachelor in Paradise”, “Finding Magic Mike”, and “Fboy Island”
- WB TV all together: shows with “characters that feel like family”, including “Eight Is Enough”, “Better With You”, and “Head of the Class”
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