Warner Bros. Discovery Extends Partnership With Tubi To Stream Recent DC Releases And More Content
Warner Bros. Discovery deepened its working relationship with the popular ad-based streaming site Tubi, and the rabbit hole will grow deeper. The Fox platform is already home to a myriad of Warner films and shows, but they are getting even more stuff this month and in 2024.
Per Variety, Tubi and WBD inked a deal to stream recent releases like The Batman, Wonder Woman 1984, Black Adam, and more practically for free. Those and other titles including Aquaman, Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey, and Green Lantern plus the TV series Batwoman, Gotham, and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman are joining the on-demand lineup.
Vintage selections such as Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Superman: The Movie, and Constantine are currently available, along with the short-lived shows Swamp Thing and Krypton. Tubi will also regain the rights to stream Blade: The Series, which though a Marvel property, was produced by Warner Bros. Television for the former Spike TV.
Additionally, they will stream features from the DC Animated Vault from Batman: Death in the Family, DC Showcase: Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam, and The Death of Superman to Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox, Son of Batman, and Superman/Batman: Public Enemies.
Offerings outside the DC library will be available in 2024 as well, including Annabelle, Doctor Sleep, and the Friday trilogy. WBD will be launching new channels through Tubi too in the categories of British television, classic cinema, true crime, reality TV, and the paranormal.
“The addition of recent blockbuster movies and fan-favorite series from the DC library is a monumental offering for Tubi viewers,” stated Tubi chief content officer Adam Lewinson. “We’re so pleased to have such wonderful partners at Warner Bros. Discovery, who are expanding the reach of their superhero franchise films and series that are destined to draw new audiences and fandoms with Tubi’s highly engaged viewers.”
WBD’s deal with Tubi expands its footprint into the ‘free’ ad-based sphere of streaming outside Max, which has its own free and ad tiers where many of the films mentioned above are available. The service has lost its luster with viewers and is a shell of what it was when it was still HBO Max.
Warner Discovery could take action to make the app stronger but the issue for them is money, and the easiest way to earn some is through licensing. This is a big part of CEO David Zaslav’s strategy to “get the cash flowing again” as he promised on conference calls when he and Discovery took over operations.
However, carrying out that mission has led to the impression that the conglomerate has shot itself irrevocably in the foot. YouTuber Cecil Trachenburg (GoodBadFlicks) illustrates this perception in an X post. “Merged company, changed name, somehow has less content than before,” he said. “Why sub to Max when all their content is available elsewhere?”