Avails format, technical specifications, metadata requirements, and delivery workflow for the largest free ad-supported streaming platform in the US.
Tubi is the largest free ad-supported streaming service in the United States, with over 80 million monthly active users and a library of more than 250,000 titles. For independent distributors, Tubi represents one of the most accessible major platforms — no subscription paywall, strong appetite for genre content, and a rev-share model that generates consistent AVOD revenue. Molten Cloud, the rights management and royalties platform for film and television, automates Tubi avails generation, manages ad-revenue royalty tracking, and ensures that content delivered to Tubi is backed by verified territorial rights data.
Tubi's content strategy favors volume and genre depth over premium exclusives. The platform is particularly strong in horror, thriller, action, comedy, reality, and documentary — genres that drive high ad-supported viewership. Understanding Tubi's acquisition preferences helps distributors present catalogs effectively.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Revenue Model | AVOD rev-share — distributor earns percentage of ad revenue based on content viewership hours |
| Deal Structure | Non-exclusive licensing (typically 1-3 year terms) — content can be on other AVOD platforms simultaneously |
| Content Preferences | Horror, thriller, action, comedy, reality TV, documentary, anime, classic films, family content |
| Territories | US (primary), Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Costa Rica |
| Minimum Catalog | No strict minimum, but 10+ titles preferred for direct partnerships; smaller catalogs via aggregators |
| Exclusivity | Non-exclusive — Tubi rarely requires exclusive rights, making it stackable with other AVOD/FAST platforms |
The non-exclusive, rev-share model makes Tubi an ideal "stack" platform — distributors can license the same titles to Tubi, Pluto TV, Roku Channel, and other AVOD/FAST platforms simultaneously, maximizing ad-revenue across multiple services without territorial exclusivity conflicts.
Tubi's avails process begins with a content proposal — a catalog overview submitted to Tubi's content team for review. Once titles are approved, the distributor completes Tubi's avails template with detailed per-title, per-territory availability data.
| Field | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Exact title as it should appear on platform | Must match metadata and artwork exactly |
| Content Type | Feature, Series, Episode | Series require season/episode structure |
| Territory | Available countries | Tubi operates in 6 countries — specify each separately |
| License Start / End | Window dates | Tubi prefers 1-3 year windows; shorter windows accepted |
| Genre | Primary and secondary genre | Must use Tubi's genre taxonomy, not custom labels |
| Content Rating | MPAA or equivalent per territory | TV-MA and R-rated content accepted |
| Language / Subtitles | Original audio language + available subtitle tracks | English subtitles required for non-English content in US |
| Rights Confirmation | Distributor confirms they hold AVOD rights | Tubi verifies against claims — conflicts delay onboarding |
Tubi's technical requirements are intentionally accessible. The platform accepts standard web-delivery formats, reducing the transcoding burden compared to premium platforms like Netflix or Apple TV+.
| Specification | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Video Codec | H.264 (AVC) — high profile |
| Container | MP4 (preferred) or MOV |
| Resolution | 1920 × 1080 (HD) — minimum 1280 × 720 |
| Frame Rate | 23.976, 24, 25, or 29.97 fps (constant frame rate required) |
| Video Bitrate | 8-20 Mbps (higher preferred for HD) |
| Audio Codec | AAC or AC-3 (Dolby Digital) |
| Audio Channels | Stereo (2.0) or 5.1 surround |
| Audio Bitrate | 192+ kbps (stereo) / 384+ kbps (5.1) |
| Captions | SRT (preferred) or VTT — English required for US distribution |
| Artwork | 16:9 landscape (1920×1080 min) + 2:3 portrait (1400×2100 min) |
Tubi accepts SRT caption files — one of the few major platforms to do so. Amazon requires SCC/TTML, Netflix requires DFXP/TTML, and Apple requires iTT. For distributors whose caption workflow produces SRT, Tubi avoids the caption conversion step that other platforms require.
Tubi uses a two-stage delivery process: content approval followed by asset delivery.
1. AVOD rights not confirmed. Tubi requires AVOD-specific rights. Distributors who have SVOD or TVOD rights but not AVOD rights submit avails for content they cannot actually license for ad-supported distribution — Tubi will reject during rights verification.
2. Missing English captions for non-English content. US distribution requires English subtitles for any non-English-language content. Submitting without English captions delays onboarding until captions are provided.
3. Using custom genre labels. Tubi has a specific genre taxonomy. Submitting avails with custom genre labels (e.g., "Psychological Drama" instead of Tubi's "Thriller" or "Drama") causes metadata rejection.
4. Variable frame rate video. Tubi requires constant frame rate (CFR). Content transcoded with variable frame rate (VFR) — common in some consumer-grade encoders — triggers QC failure.
5. Expired or expiring licenses. Submitting content with license windows that expire within 30 days of planned go-live. Tubi's onboarding takes 5-10 business days — if the license expires before content goes live, the submission is wasted.
Molten Cloud connects rights data to Tubi's delivery workflow:
Distributors deliver content to Tubi through a two-stage process: first, a content proposal is submitted to Tubi's content team for review and title selection; second, selected titles are delivered with avails files, video assets (H.264 in MP4/MOV, 1080p), SRT caption files, metadata, and artwork. Delivery is via Tubi's portal or cloud storage (Aspera/S3). Tubi operates a 100% AVOD model with non-exclusive licensing, meaning distributors earn ad-revenue share and can license the same content to other AVOD platforms simultaneously. Molten Cloud automates avails generation from verified AVOD rights data and tracks ad-revenue royalties across Tubi and other platforms.
Tubi requires video in H.264 codec within MP4 or MOV containers at minimum 1280×720 resolution (1920×1080 preferred). Frame rate must be constant (23.976, 24, 25, or 29.97 fps). Audio should be AAC or AC-3 in stereo or 5.1 surround. Caption files must be in SRT or VTT format — English captions are mandatory for non-English content distributed in the US. Artwork is required in 16:9 (1920×1080 minimum) and 2:3 (1400×2100 minimum) formats. Tubi's specs are more accessible than premium platforms like Netflix or Apple TV+ — standard web-delivery formats are accepted without proprietary packaging.
Yes. Tubi typically licenses content on a non-exclusive basis, meaning distributors can make the same titles available on other AVOD and FAST platforms (Pluto TV, Roku Channel, Crackle, etc.) simultaneously. This non-exclusive model makes Tubi an ideal "stack" platform for distributors maximizing ad-supported revenue across multiple services. License terms are typically 1-3 years with revenue-share compensation based on viewership-driven ad revenue. Molten Cloud manages non-exclusive licensing across multiple AVOD platforms from a single rights database, ensuring territorial availability is tracked consistently.
Molten Cloud automates Tubi delivery through AVOD-specific avails generation (one-click export of titles with confirmed AVOD rights per territory), platform-specific delivery profiles (Tubi encoding presets with correct codec, container, and audio configuration), ad-revenue royalty tracking (automated ingestion of Tubi revenue reports with per-title, per-territory royalty calculations), and license window monitoring (automated alerts before Tubi license expirations). Because Tubi is non-exclusive, Molten Cloud also manages the same content's avails, delivery, and royalties across parallel AVOD/FAST platforms — all from the same verified rights data.
Molten Cloud generates Tubi-ready avails from your rights data and tracks ad-revenue royalties automatically — across Tubi and every other AVOD platform.
See how AVOD delivery works in Molten Cloud
