Tubi fixed my biggest problems with Netflix, and it's why I keep coming back

Credit: Dan Girolamo/How-To Geek/Tubi Published Aug 11, 2026, 10:15 AM EDT After graduating from Marist University with a degree in communications and journalism, Dan Girolamo has over 10 years of experience writing about entertainment and sports. Dan's work can be seen in various publications, including Digital Trends, SportsCasting, and Tom's Guide. Throughout his career, Dan has interviewed several high-profile filmmakers and creatives, including Brendan Fraser, Jamie Lee Curtis, Caitriona Balfe, Frank Grillo, Miranda Cosgrove, Jai Courtney, Chris Columbus and James Cameron. Dan joins How-To Geek as a Senior Editor. When he's not writing about entertainment, Dan is either watching a movie or praying for the New York Knicks to win a championship. Sign in to your How-To Geek account In Home Alone 2, Kevin McCallister scoffs at Cedric when asked if he knows how the television works. "I'm 10 years old. TV's my life," Kevin tells Cedric before tipping him with gum. I'm much older than Kevin, but I can relate to what he said about TV. It's not my entire life, but it's certainly a crucial part, considering I write for How-To Geek's streaming vertical. As for what services I use, I'm one of the rare millennials who still pays for cable while also having most of the top streaming services, including Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, Prime Video, and Paramount+. Let's just say I'm not ecstatic at the end of every month when I have to pay my bills. That's why whenever I can use a free service like Tubi, I jump at the opportunity. Tubi is what's known as a FAST service, which stands for free ad-supported streaming television. It's a free streaming service that offers over 300,000 movies and TV episodes to its user base. There are no tricks or hidden fees when it comes to pricing—it's a free service. Beyond its monetary benefits, Tubi has fixed some of my biggest problems that I have with paid streaming services, especially Netflix. Tubi gives me the option to watch live TV I still enjoy channel surfing​​​​​ One of the main reasons why I still have cable TV is for the ability to channel surf. I find myself turning on the TV with no plan. This happens a lot during the summer, when there are fewer sporting events and water-cooler shows. I'll flip through the channels for a few minutes before picking a show or movie. If I get bored by it, I'll just keep channel surfing until I find something else to watch. Channel surfing isn't really possible on Netflix. The service might broadcast live events, but there is no linear live TV channel guide. I like scrolling the homepage to see if something catches my eye. If nothing does, I'll move to the genre pages and see if I have better luck. 15 minutes later, I still haven't decided on anything. Quiz 8 Questions · Test Your KnowledgeFAST streaming platforms and free TVTrivia challengeFrom Roku to Fire TV — find out how much you really know about free ad-supported streaming.StreamingPlatformsDevicesChannelsHistoryBegin What does the acronym FAST stand for in the streaming industry?AFree Access Streaming TechnologyBFree Ad-Supported Streaming TelevisionCFast Adaptive Signal TransmissionDFully Automated Smart TelevisionCorrect! FAST stands for Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television. It describes services that let viewers watch content at no cost in exchange for sitting through advertisements, similar to traditional broadcast TV but delivered over the internet.Not quite. FAST stands for Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television. The model mirrors old-school broadcast TV — you get free content in exchange for watching ads, all streamed over your internet connection.Continue Which company launched the Roku streaming player, making it one of the first dedicated streaming devices on the market?AAmazonBGoogleCRoku Inc.DNetflixCorrect! Roku was actually spun out of Netflix in 2008. Netflix founder Reed Hastings helped fund the project but ultimately decided to keep the device independent rather than release it as an official Netflix product, which allowed Roku to become a platform for many services.Surprisingly, Roku was originally incubated inside Netflix before being spun off as an independent company in 2008. Netflix founder Reed Hastings chose not to brand it as a Netflix device, which freed Roku to become a multi-platform streaming hub.Continue Amazon's Fire TV Stick competes directly with Roku, but which operating system does Fire TV run on?AAndroid TVBA custom fork of Android called Fire OSCAmazon LinuxDTizen OSCorrect! Fire TV runs Fire OS, which is Amazon's heavily customized fork of Android. While it shares roots with Android, Fire OS is tightly integrated with Amazon's ecosystem and does not include the Google Play Store.The correct answer is Fire OS, Amazon's own fork of Android. Unlike standard Android TV devices, Fire OS replaces Google's ecosystem with Amazon's own apps and services, which is why you won't find the Google Play Store on a Fire TV device.Continue Which of the following is a FAST channel service owned and operated by Roku itself?ATubiBPluto TVCThe Roku ChannelDPeacockCorrect! The Roku Channel is Roku's own free, ad-supported streaming service. It offers a mix of movies, TV shows, and live linear channels, and it's available not just on Roku devices but also on the web and some smart TVs.The answer is The Roku Channel, which is Roku's in-house FAST service. Tubi is owned by Fox, Pluto TV is owned by Paramount, and Peacock is NBCUniversal's service. Roku built its own channel to capture ad revenue directly rather than just acting as a platform for others.Continue Pluto TV, one of the most popular FAST services, was acquired by which major media company in 2019?ADisneyBWarner Bros. DiscoveryCParamount GlobalDComcastCorrect! Paramount Global (then called Viacom) acquired Pluto TV in January 2019 for approximately $340 million. The acquisition gave Viacom a major foothold in the FAST market and allowed it to stream content from its vast library of shows and movies for free.Pluto TV was acquired by Paramount Global (formerly Viacom) in 2019 for around $340 million. The deal gave Paramount a strong presence in the free streaming space and allowed it to monetize its huge content library through ads rather than subscriptions alone.Continue Which FAST streaming service is owned by Fox Corporation and is known for its large library of free movies and TV shows?APeacockBTubiCIMDb TVDXumoCorrect! Tubi is owned by Fox Corporation, which acquired it in 2020 for approximately $440 million. Tubi is one of the largest FAST platforms by content volume, boasting tens of thousands of titles available completely free with ads.The answer is Tubi, which Fox Corporation bought in 2020 for about $440 million. Peacock belongs to NBCUniversal, IMDb TV (now Amazon Freevee) is Amazon's service, and Xumo is owned by Comcast. Tubi remains one of the biggest free streaming libraries available.Continue Google's FAST and streaming platform, built into many smart TVs and available as a dongle, is called what?AAndroid TVBGoogle TVCChromecast UltraDYouTube TVCorrect! Google TV is the current name for Google's smart TV platform, which replaced Android TV branding on newer devices. It features a personalized content aggregation layer on top of Android TV's underlying operating system and comes built into the Chromecast with Google TV dongle.The answer is Google TV, which replaced the Android TV branding as Google's primary smart TV platform. While Android TV still powers the backend, Google TV adds a content discovery layer on top. The Chromecast with Google TV device is one of the most popular ways to access it.Continue Samsung's built-in FAST service, pre-installed on its smart TVs, is known by what name?ASamsung TV PlusBSamsung FreeCastCTizen TV FreeDOne UI StreamCorrect! Samsung TV Plus is Samsung's free, ad-supported streaming service that comes pre-installed on its smart TVs and is also available on mobile devices. It offers hundreds of live linear channels and on-demand content without requiring a subscription or even an account.The correct answer is Samsung TV Plus, Samsung's own FAST platform built into its smart TVs. It offers hundreds of live channels and on-demand titles at no cost, supported by ads. Samsung's smart TVs run the Tizen operating system, but the streaming service itself carries the Samsung TV Plus branding.See My Score Challenge CompleteYour Score/ 8Thanks for playing!Try Again Tubi doesn't have that problem because it offers live TV. If you scroll to the live TV section, you'll travel back in time to the days of scrolling through the guide on cable TV. In the U.S., Tubi has over 260 unique channels to choose from in various genres, including sports, news, competition, lifestyle, reality, and more. I can jump into an episode of Law & Order: SVU, and after a few minutes, I can change the channel to an episode of Next Level Chef. For me, it's so much easier to flip through the channels of Tubi than it is to jump in and out of Netflix shows and movies. Believe me, I wish Netflix had live TV and FAST channels, and it sounds like the streamer is exploring those options, too. Until then, Tubi is the way to go if you want to recreate cable TV. Tubi alleviates the pressure of finding the perfect show or movie Lower stakes and fewer commitments When watching a movie or TV show, I'm very committed to finishing, for better or worse. I feel like I deserve to at least finish whatever I've been watching before moving on. Frankly, that's a habit I want to break, especially for programs I watch in my free time that have no implications for my work. There are many times when I want to stop a Netflix show or movie at the halfway point, but I keep powering through even though I've moved on mentally. Sometimes, I stick around because of the positive reviews. "If everyone else likes this, then I should like it," runs through my head. I'll give Emmy-nominated shows and Oscar-nominated movies a longer leash, even if I know within 10 minutes that the title won't work for me. I'm paying enough for Netflix, so I feel forced to get my money's worth. I feel way less pressure when browsing Tubi than I do when browsing Netflix. It's low-stakes streaming when I'm on Tubi. I know that if I use the live TV section, I do not have to commit to anything. Whatever my heart desires, that's what I'll pick. If that means watching bits and pieces of 10 shows within an hour, so be it. This comes in handy when I'm writing. I love to have the TV on in the background as white noise. Again, it comes down to the ability to change programs within seconds. I can't do that on Netflix. I might spend more time scrolling and looking for another title than actually watching TV and writing. In Tubi's live TV section, I click up or down with my remote, and I have a new program in seconds. It's this efficiency that I cherish. Tubi is prime for new discoveries Embrace randomness I have a love-hate relationship with the Netflix algorithm. On one hand, I appreciate a homepage with suggestions tailored to my liking. On the other hand, the Netflix homepage tends to promote its new programming constantly. From a business perspective, I understand Netflix must push out new content for marketing and viewership purposes. However, I've found that this weakens my chances of finding something I've never heard of, which can be a nice surprise from time to time. I can honestly say I'm always discovering new things on the Tubi homepage. It has a mix of Tubi originals and classic programming that frequently piques my interest. Admittedly, some of it is a bit too ridiculous—anyone ever watch Gary Busey in Gingerdead Man? However, Tubi does have some entertaining hits, including the crime thriller Cinnamon and the reality show Kitchen Commando. You just need to watch with an open mind. Tubi Subscription with ads No subscriptions Live TV Yes Netflix isn't going anywhere, but Tubi continues to rise I'm not going to make the hot take that Tubi will surpass Netflix in terms of popularity. I don't see that happening. That doesn't mean Tubi can't carve out a niche in the free-streaming market. With Tubi, The Roku Channel, and Pluto TV on the rise, I'm expecting the major streaming services to continue investing in FAST channels in the future.