Tubi Partners With LG to Get Its App Preloaded on Smartphones

• The Tubi streaming app will come as preinstalled on some LG devices.
• The deal between Tubi and LG will run on multiple years.
• LG devices running Tubi are already in stores with multiple carriers.

Free VoD service Tubi has announced it has entered a partnership with LG Mobile, which will result in the platform’s app getting preinstalled to LG smartphones in the US and Canada. LG phones running Tubi as a preinstalled app are already available on the market and can be found in T-Mobile stores. They’ll also be added to US Cellular, MetroPCS, and other carriers across the two countries.

“Our partnership with Tubi is a great opportunity for LG customers to experience streaming content on their smartphones. While taking advantage of the LG Dual Screen and 5G on the all-new LG V60 ThinQ 5G, this venture reinforces LG’s mobile phones commitment to meet the increasing demand for entertainment consumption on handheld devices,” said Yongsuk Kim, LG Mobile VP of Strategy.

The whole deal will be a great opportunity for Tubi since the current pandemic has most of the population locked inside and streaming up a storm.

Tubi, for those unfamiliar with it, is a cool platform that's free but ad-supported, offering on-demand video. The ads displayed during programming are unskippable, and that's how they stay afloat. Tubi works on a wide range of devices, including iOS and Android, Apple TV, Fire TV, PlayStation, and more. The catalog runs about 20,000 movies and TV shows, so there's plenty of content to enjoy.

Over the years, there’s been plenty of controversy regarding preloaded apps and how annoying they are as they occupy the already limited space on smart devices. That said, it remains to be seen whether the Tubi app will be uninstallable from devices by those who are not interested in the platform.