Unfortunately Tubi is my enemy now |
Tubi, the ad-supported service where you can watch everything from masterpieces like Goodfellas to schlocky erotic spy movies such as Malibu Express all for free, is one of our most robust streaming platforms. While the Fox-owned company has signed lucrative deals with Universal and Warner Bros. to ensure a steady slate of recognizable titles, I get the most joy from Tubi when I’m at the bottom of the barrel, finding whatever lost films have managed to survive the closing of rental stores and find a home outside the majors like Netflix. Sure, I could watch great movies like Dredd or Sunshine on Tubi, or I could learn for myself why Mandroid has an 8% on Rotten Tomatoes. I always choose the latter path.
At Polygon, we nurture that sense of discovery… and demand people tell us when they watch something awesome. We love mining for hidden gems and begging you to watch them when you can. If I stumble upon Arena, an unsung Star Wars-meets-Rocky B-movie from 1989, you better believe I will race to the nearest computer terminal to type out an ode to Arena in hopes that you too will watch it.
So it brings me no pleasure to announce that Tubi made me a little mad on Thursday morning, when I found out that the company had just launched a first-of-its kind app inside ChatGPT to provide chatbots with the ability to recommend Tubi........