Westworld will soon be viewable on Warner Bros-branded FAST channels via Roku and Tubi
Things are getting weird at Warner Bros., and we're not talking about Westworld's storylines
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As streaming barrels closer and closer to recreating cable television every single day, Warner Bros. Discovery is spearheading the effort, with the implementation of branded FAST channels on The Roku Channel and Tubi.
While a chunk of the company’s owned library will make their move over to the free services, the banner series being offered up for the experimental move is none other than former HBO darling, Westworld.
While streaming companies have primarily focused on tiered subscription options with an emphasis on ad-free programming, executives’ heads are now turning to another source of revenue: Free, ad-supported streaming television, a.k.a. FAST. These services have essentially recreated cable for the internet age, offering linear programming with a guide for viewers to choose from. Some of these kinds of channels include Pluto TV, Peacock, The Roku Channel, and IMDb TV.
In addition to the explosion of separate streaming apps for individual content creators (although those are now quickly merging), we could soon see even more viewing options appear with the formation of these FAST apps. Warner Bros. Discovery is currently working on its own, FAST service separate from HBO Max, where content like Westworld will move to ahead of its launch.
For now, shows such as F-Boy Island, The Bachelor, Cake Boss, and Say Yes To The Dress will find a new home on Roku and Tubi in a “co-exclusive” deal with Warner Bros. The Warner Bros.-branded FAST channels will launch in February on Tubi, and sometime this spring on The Roku Channel.
Colin Dixon of NScreenMedia perfectly sums up the thought process behind selected programming in money-grabbing terms, per IndieWire: “Once a show has been sitting in a library for a number of years—no matter how good it is—it’s not going to be watched a lot. That sort of show, there’s definitely a lot of room to monetize it in other ways.”
11 Comments
So, how much less will WBD be paying itself by shuffling Westworld off onto a smaller streamer?
Umm none. Back episodes of old shows don’t drive new subscriptions nor play a big factor in retention of subscribers. So this content will make some money through a licensing fee charged to the small streamers to create a WBD “hub” on their service and/or a split of the ad revenue for every play of an episode. It’s a nickel and dime way of doing things, but WBD needs every nickel and dime it can lay its hands on.
I would presume they’re earning more money from Roku and Tubi than they do by paying themselves.
Westworld has a considerable amount of M-rated nudity and graphic violence. How much of that is going to be censored so it can run against advertisements, or is that not really a concern with advertisers on these services?
EDIT: It looks like from googling that Tubi at least doesn’t. Wild – but good! That’s an improvement over what it used to be like.
Tubi has a subchannel from Charles Band’s Full Moon that features some of their Skinemax era softcore porn.
Awesome.
Pluto’s like that, too – they’ll show a “Hellraiser” marathon, and it’s uncut – only it has commercials.
Wild. I guess advertisers have really mellowed out a lot on that stuff (or they’ve gotten really good at only targeting ads from companies that are okay with it), although apparently not when it comes to basic cable and broadcast TV that isn’t on the internet.
Every time I want to watch a film and look up to see where it’s streaming , If Roku, Tubi, or Freevie are my only options I just say forget about it.
I recent watched Koyaanasqatsi & Powaqqatsi on Tubi. I had to find the final entry in the trilogy, Naqoyqatsi, on the Internet Archive instead. Tubi didn’t have it… because it totally sucks.
There’s part of me that sees where the entertainment industry is right now and feels like having more ads on streaming services would be an acceptable alternative to loads of shows and services being cancelled every week, but then I remember what ads are like and… yeah, no.