Tubi, the Fox-owned ad-supported streaming service, is officially entering the short-form video arena with the launch of its new feature, “Scenes.” Designed to compete with platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, the feature is now rolling out to all users on iOS and Android devices, aiming to bridge the gap between quick-hit mobile entertainment and long-form streaming discovery.
Transforming Content Discovery via Short-Form Clips
The “Scenes” feature provides a curated feed of 60-to-90-second clips pulled from a library of over 250,000 titles. The selection includes high-profile films and series such as Django Unchained, The Amazing Spider-Man, Jumanji, and I Am Legend. By presenting these highlights in a vertical, swipeable interface, Tubi intends to boost content discoverability and drive users toward watching full episodes.
Unlike competitors that prioritize original micro-content, Tubi is leveraging its existing massive catalog. Users can interact with the feed by tapping “Like,” “Save,” or “Watch.” Selecting “Watch” redirects the viewer to the full title, while “Save” adds the movie or show to their personal “My List” for later viewing.
Strategic Shift for Mobile Users
According to Mike Bidgoli, Tubi’s chief product and technology officer, the move is a direct response to changing consumer habits. “We want to meet the viewers where they are, which on mobile means they’re on the go,” Bidgoli explained. “A lot of the time, people are on a quick break between meetings, waiting for a ride, or on a coffee break. We need to create a quick shot of entertainment.”
The “Scenes” tab is now located prominently in the center of the bottom menu bar on the mobile app. While currently mobile-exclusive, Tubi has enabled casting capabilities, allowing users to send these clips to connected devices, including iOS and Android users who utilize Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, or Roku.
Future Roadmap and Content Integrity
Tubi’s machine learning engine powers the experience, ensuring that recommendations become increasingly personalized based on user interactions. Looking ahead, the company is considering integrating “Scenes” into its main home grid and potentially enabling social media sharing for clips.
Interestingly, the company is currently avoiding a comment section to prevent the negative environment often found on other platforms. “The last thing we want is for our corner of the internet to become negative,” Bidgoli noted. This strategy follows the discontinuation of the platform’s previous experiment, a ChatGPT-powered search tool known as Rabbit AI, which failed to gain significant traction.
For now, Tubi is doubling down on its mobile-first strategy, with executives hinting at further enhancements to the mobile app experience throughout the coming year. Users who spotted early tests of the feature in August are now seeing the full, stable rollout across the platform.