BBC's 'Boarders' Sets Premiere as "A Tubi Original"

The next phase in the streaming revolution is here. The Great Unbundling has ended; every production studio that will launch its own streaming service has done so, and now it is time for them all to fight it out and see who survives. Some of the losers are already clearer than others: Paramount+ is desperately looking for a buyer, AMC Networks series of streaming services aren't far behind, and BritBox got snapped off the board when no one was looking. Meanwhile, a new type of streamer is making a play for dominance, as FAST streamers, like Tubi, are launching their first originals with shows like Boarders.

Chances are you've probably heard of Tubi. Chances are greater that you're not sure what it is exactly. Tubi is a streaming service like Disney+, Paramount+, or Peacock. It's a streaming service that's very much like those three in that it is the main flagship streaming service owned by a broadcast network. Disney+ is ABC, Peacock is NBC, Paramount+ is CBS, and Tubi is Fox. However, unlike the first three, Fox no longer has a production studio to make its original content. Instead, its streaming service is known as a FAST streamer: Free Ad-supported Streaming Television.

FAST is returning to the basics of broadcasting but via app format. However, once you download, there's no monthly fee. Instead, there are rows and rows of channels full of old TV shows and films, running endlessly, supported by ads. Or at least, that's what FAST streamers were. But now they're getting into the "Originals" game, primarily by grabbing shows from overseas made by other networks with no streaming homes in the U.S. and getting to call them "Originals" because of having the exclusive rights to them.