Tubi Doubles Down on ‘Free Forever’ Pledge with Mob Bosses, Goblins and Heart Throbs

Price increases are becoming so common that they’re hardly surprising anymore. What is surprising, however, is when a brand doubles down on its commitment to staying free, forever.

That’s the message behind ad-supported streaming service Tubi's latest campaign. Running across broadcast TV this Autumn, ‘Free Forever’ responds to rising concern among consumers that the platform would start to charge for its services: access to the world's largest collection of Hollywood movies and TV shows, thousands of creator-led stories and hundreds of Tubi Originals.

“Consumers are navigating price hikes and bait-and-switch models across streaming, so ‘free’ isn’t just a nice-to-have – it’s a relief. As Tubi has continued to grow, we’ve heard real anxiety from consumers that we’d eventually flip to a paid tier,” explains Nicole Parlapiano, chief marketing officer at Tubi, speaking with LBB. “‘Free Forever’ is our way of removing that fear and making our promise crystal clear: Tubi is and will remain free, powered by ads, with the world’s largest collection of movies and TV shows. It meets the moment – when prices are climbing elsewhere, we’re doubling down on being the viewer-first alternative that people can rely on."

The platform has experienced significant growth in recent months, surpassing 100 million monthly active users and streaming about one billion hours a month, “all while continuing to build a destination for fan-fueled entertainment,” adds Nicole. Launching ‘Free Forever’ into the market now helps to drive certainty and trust among fans, Nicole says. “They can feel confident investing their time with us.”

The campaign, comprising five short, comedic spots, were created in partnership with Tubi’s creative agency of record, Mischief @ No Fixed Address, and directed by The Perlorian Brothers through MJZ. Embracing the idea of ‘forever’ the five films, spanning crime, fantasy, teen romance, thriller and film noir, trap characters in their own respective worlds until the end of time. Nicole adds that the director duo “put a lot of emphasis on creating films that feel like slices out of the real thing, rather than just parodies, the right tone for Tubi’s distinct brand of comedy.”

Leaning into Tubi’s irreverent, fan-first attitude, the spots embrace fandom and fun, exemplifying the brand’s spirit of, “we don’t take ourselves too seriously.”

“We believe fans are the arbiters of quality, and we’re here to help our viewers discover content they can’t find anywhere else,” says Nicole. “So we leaned into the rabbit holes our audience loves – teen romance, fantasy, crime, thrillers, and film noir – to showcase the breadth and depth you can fall into on Tubi. Honestly, it was hard to choose – this is just a snapshot of our genres – if we had more time, I would’ve made fifty spots.”

Time was of the essence during production, shooting five different genres in just two days, going from filming to locked-picture in eleven – near record time for the brand. “The cast kept the energy electric,” says Nicole. “The actors in ‘Accent’ and ‘Dimitri' delivered so many sharp reads that we still trade favourite takes that didn’t make the final cut.” Nicole also points to a fun Easter egg in the crime spot ‘Dimitri’ – “If you look closely, the actor playing the mob boss has Tubi tattoos on his knuckles.”

“Free is one thing – and something we’ve had fun showcasing in past work with Tubi – but free forever is basically unheard of in this day and age. It’s usually free for a little while until you’re hooked and suddenly, whoops, not so free anymore. And we thought, if Tubi can stand by that claim, we can have a ton of fun with it,” said Kevin Mulroy, founding partner and EDC at Mischief in the campaign’s announcement.

"As we started talking about concepts, we circled around the idea of characters being stuck in that role for all of time. Not actors, but the characters themselves, trapped in the content that will be free for all eternity. Sorry, mafia rat, you’re getting pummeled forever.”