Cinema Smorgasbord’s Doug Tilley joins the pod for a discussion of the two major AVOD streaming services, Tubi and Pluto TV, and their massive libraries of free content, brought to you with short but forced advertising breaks. 

Even though Tubi has over 60 million regular monthly users, it still feels like an underground streaming platform, carrying tens of thousands of obscure films and documentaries along with recognizable catalog titles from major film studios spanning decades. Doug regularly monitors new arrivals to Tubi and posts update threads on Twitter using the #TubiOrNotTubi hashtag.

So what are the catches for using a streaming service with a massive library for free? Beyond learning to navigate their algorithms to discover content, some may be uncomfortable with its ownership (Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Corporation) or put off by some of the questionable material that can be found (their “documentary’” category is loaded with agit-prop documentaries about Trumpism or some pushing COVID paranoia). We offer tips on how to sift through the trash to find the treasure, and we also discuss highlights from Tubi’s main competitor, the more upscale Pluto TV.

There are dozens of premium episodes of the show available exclusively to Junk Filter patrons: some notable previous Patreon guests include Jared Yates Sexton, Jacob Bacharach, David Roth, Bryan Quinby and Sooz Kempner. Coming this summer to the podcast: a summer sidebar series on the influential TV show Miami Vice! Sign up at ⁠https://www.patreon.com/junkfilter

Follow Doug Tilley on Twitter. 

Liam O'Donnell and Doug Tilley serve up a platter of cinematic sensations, falling under a variety of unusual and unique categories celebrating undervalued actors and underseen favorites, over at their podcast hub Cinema Smorgasbord. Follow them on Twitter too!

Trailer for Cop Killers (Walter R. Cichy, 1973)

“Rabbit Hole” - Tubi Super Bowl commercial, 2023