With All Due Respect to Tubi, Fox Is Finally Getting Into Streaming

Fox is finally launching a (real, subscription) streaming service.

On Tuesday, Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch announced the planned release of a(nother) direct-to-consumer (DTC) platform. This one will feature live feeds of Fox TV channels like the Fox broadcast network, Fox News Channel, Fox Business, Fox Weather, and FS1 (Fox Sports 1). The unnamed, unpriced service will launch “by the end of this calendar year,” Murdoch said.

Fox already has Tubi, a free provider of 24/7 curated, themed channels and on-demand programming, a hybrid of the FAST and full-AVOD approaches. Tubi is very successful for what it is, but it does not mirror Fox’s broadcast and cable lineups — though it will live-stream Sunday’s Super Bowl LIX — and it does not bring in subscription revenue. There aren’t many Tubi originals worth writing home about; this new DTC service will have exactly none; it will instead be a vehicle for all of Fox’s live, linear feeds.

Fox does have a pay-streaming service. We’ll give you a minute to rack your brain. No, not Hulu anymore, not really. It’s definitely not Venu…

Give up? For $7.99/month, Fox News fans can access Fox Nation’s complimentary conservative shows, docs, and movies, though it doesn’t provide a live feed of Fox News itself. This new one will, and considering the popularity of Fox News Channel and the Fox broadcast network’s sports rights (NFL, World Series, etc.), you’ve gotta believe New Fox DTC will cost more than Fox Nation. Of course, there will likely be a promotional price period to draw subscribers — for a little while, at least.

Just like he did ahead of the planned launch of the defunct Venu Sports streaming service, a joint venture with Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery that was more DOA than CNN+, Murdoch insisted that the new Fox DTC platform will target existing “cord-cutters or cord-nevers.” In other words, he’s not looking to convert consumers with traditional cable package into streaming subscribers — he has to say that because Fox still needs those cable providers.

“We don’t want, and we have no intention of churning a traditional distribution customer into our DTC customer, and so our subscriber expectations will be modest and we’re going to price the service accordingly,” Murdoch said.

Murdoch says he wanted to make it “very clear” that Fox continues to “see the traditional cable bundle as still the most value for our consumers — and frankly, the most value for the company.”

But the Murdochs are nothing if not men of the people; they will go where the people are.

‘Kitchen Nightmares: Gordon Ramsay’ in the ‘3 Southern Girls’ episode of ‘Kitchen Nightmares’ airing Tuesday, Feb. 4 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. CR: FOX. ©2025 FOX Media LLC.Jeffrey_Neira

Because this new Fox streaming service will mirror its linear television channels, there will also be ads (and thus ad revenue). It will not have original programming or exclusive rights, which will keep costs down for Fox — and presumably, for the consumer. We do not yet have pricing details, a name, or a specific launch date in 2025.

Not everyone is sold on the new DTC plan.

“Launching a subscription streaming service in 2025 is risky business,” Emarketer Senior Analyst Ross Benes told IndieWire via email. “Unlike other legacy media companies, Fox has avoided debt financing a subscription streamer in favor of marketing its free Tubi. While this limits how Fox digitally distributes its content on owned and operated services, it provided for a leaner strategy than its rivals.”

He gets it, though.

“Of course, no one wants to be left behind when streaming replaces linear,” he continued. “But the subscription streaming market is already crowded, another entrant will make competition fiercer and profits more difficult to obtain consistently.”

One of the major services crowding the space was early entrant Hulu, of which Fox was one of the three launch partners along with ABC (Disney) and NBC (Comcast). However, when Disney bought most of Fox for more than $70 billion in 2019, it acquired the company’s one-third ownership in Hulu. With the majority stake secured by Disney, in 2023, Comcast exercised an option to make Disney buy out its own share for (at least) $8 billion. The process to determine if that number will grow is still ongoing. Fox shows will remain on Hulu on-demand through at least 2029.

As for Venu, well, that sucked. Fox, Disney, and WBD teamed up to share their own sports rights for $42.99/month, figuring there is strength in their numbers. But then WBD lost the NBA and the Venu partners began getting sued into anti-competition oblivion by other video providers, most notably Fubo. Even Disney buying Fubo (if you can’t beat ’em, buy ’em!) didn’t resolve the issue, and Venu folded before it got off the ground.

Better luck to you, new Fox DTC.