How to Get Content on Tubi: Licensing, Linear, and the Creator Path

To get content on Tubi, you license it to Tubi's content team, either directly or through a distributor or aggregator that already supplies the platform. Tubi is primarily an on-demand AVOD library, not a channel store, so most deals are library licensing deals: movies and series added to Tubi's catalog under a revenue-share or license-fee arrangement. Tubi also runs live and linear channels and has creator programs, but there is no general self-serve upload for the main catalog.

This guide explains Tubi's model, the pitch paths that exist, what Tubi accepts, requirements and timelines, and the open-platform route for creators whose strength is audience rather than a film catalog.

What is Tubi and why is it different from a FAST channel store?

Tubi, owned by Fox, is one of the largest free streaming services: 100M+ monthly active users and over 1B hours viewed in May 2025, per Tubi and Fox. Nielsen's May 2025 Gauge put Tubi, Pluto TV, and The Roku Channel at a combined 5.7% of all US TV viewing, ahead of any single broadcast network. More numbers live in our FAST industry statistics hub.

The key structural fact: Tubi's core is an on-demand library. Viewers browse tens of thousands of movies and episodes and press play. Linear channels exist on Tubi, news and themed streams among them, but they are a complement, not the main event. So where conversations with Samsung TV Plus, LG Channels, or Fire TV Channels are about channel carriage, Tubi conversations are about content licensing. Our AVOD versus FAST explainer covers the distinction in depth.

What are the ways onto Tubi?

Tubi has more named entry points than most platforms, each with a different audience:

1. Direct library licensing. Rights holders pitch Tubi's content acquisition team, typically via distributors, sales agents, or existing relationships. This is the main road for films and series.
2. The Content Partner Portal. Tubi operates a partner portal (partner.tubitv.com) where approved partners register and manage delivery. Registration is subject to Tubi's approval; it is a partner tool, not an open upload service.
3. Aggregators and distributors. Independent filmmakers commonly reach Tubi through film aggregators and distributors that hold Tubi output relationships. Tubi has also partnered with Kickstarter to bring selected independent films to the platform.
4. Tubi for Creators. Launched in 2025, this program brings selected digital creators' episodic, long-form, high-production shows to Tubi. It is invitation-and-selection, not open enrollment.
5. Stubios. Tubi's fan-driven studio arm surfaces emerging talent and develops original projects. Creatives can put themselves on its radar through the Stubios site.
6. Viewer suggestions. Tubi's help center offers a form for suggesting titles, useful for viewers, not a licensing path.

Notice what is absent: a general upload button. Every path runs through selection by Tubi or by an intermediary Tubi trusts.

What does Tubi accept, and what does it require?

Announced deals and program descriptions point to consistent criteria:

• Professional, feature-length or episodic content. Movies, documentaries, and series with real production value. Tubi for Creators explicitly targets long-form work of catalog-equal quality.
• Clean rights. AVOD rights for Tubi's territories with clear chain of title, music clearances included. Rights problems kill more indie deals than quality does.
• Broadcast-grade delivery. Quality masters, proper audio, closed captions for US compliance, and full metadata. The general spec shape is covered in FAST channel content requirements.
• Audience logic. Content Tubi's recommendation system can match to a real viewing segment: genre clarity helps, and niche depth beats generic breadth.

Short-form social clips, vlogs, and thin libraries do not fit the main catalog model. That is a model boundary, not a quality judgment.

Genre appetite matters as much as format. Tubi's catalog strategy leans into depth within clear lanes: horror, thrillers, Black cinema, faith-based titles, anime, and documentary among them. A finished film that fits a lane Tubi is actively deepening has a materially better shot than a stronger film in a lane it already saturates. Study what Tubi is adding, not just what it carries, before you decide how to position your pitch.

We could not verify Tubi's current internal specs or minimum-hour thresholds from a named source; confirm details with Tubi or your aggregator, and expect them to change.

How long does getting on Tubi take?

Tubi publishes no timelines and we cannot verify typical durations. The realistic frame: finding an aggregator or distributor takes weeks, their pitch cycles run on their schedule, and Tubi's review, legal, and delivery QA add more weeks to months. Independent filmmakers commonly report the end-to-end path taking a quarter or more, though experiences vary widely. Aggregators may charge upfront fees, revenue shares, or both; compare terms carefully because they vary by company and we cannot verify standard rates.

When you evaluate an aggregator, ask four questions before signing. Which platforms have they actually placed titles on in the last year? What do they charge, upfront and ongoing, and what does that buy? Who handles delivery QA and caption compliance? And what happens to your files and metadata if you part ways? Good aggregators answer all four plainly. Vague answers on any of them are the signal to keep shopping, because a bad aggregator deal costs both money and years of encumbered rights.

The creator route: build the channel Tubi cannot offer you

If you are a creator with an audience and a growing library rather than a finished film catalog, Tubi's doors are mostly not built for you. The Creators program is selective, and the main catalog wants long-form masters. The practical move is to run your own linear channel now and let the results open licensed doors later.

On Vidiyo, anyone can start a FAST channel free and self-serve. Upload your videos, schedule a 24/7 lineup, and the platform handles transcoding, playout, SSAI, and EPG. Viewers watch in any browser with no account, plus Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, iOS, and Android apps. You earn an ad revenue share from launch, with tips, gifts, and paid episode unlocks on top. Converting an existing library into a schedule is covered in turning a YouTube catalog into a linear channel.

Months of watch-time data does two things: it earns real revenue now, and it turns a future Tubi or distributor pitch from a hope into a case. It also protects your downside. If every licensed door stays closed, you still own a channel, an audience, and an income stream that nobody can decline you out of. That optionality is worth more than any single platform deal.

Official references

• Tubi: tubitv.com
• Launch on Vidiyo instead of applying platform-by-platform: start creating
• Related: FAST distribution platforms

Quick answers

Can I upload my movie to Tubi myself? No. Tubi has no open upload. Films arrive through licensing deals, aggregators, or distributors approved by Tubi's content team.

Does Tubi pay for content? Yes, through negotiated deals, commonly revenue shares based on viewing or flat license fees. Terms are confidential and vary; no public rate card exists.

Does Tubi have linear channels? Yes, including news and themed streams alongside its on-demand library. On-demand licensing remains the primary model; linear slots are a smaller, curated layer.

What is Tubi for Creators? A selective program, launched in 2025, that brings episodic, long-form shows from chosen digital creators to Tubi. It is not open enrollment.

What's next

• Compare every platform's entry path in FAST channel distribution platforms.
• Understand deal structures in FAST platform content licensing.
• See the curated-channel variant at Pluto TV and the OEM route at Vizio WatchFree+.
• Launch your own channel today: start a FAST channel.