#streaming-tv

#streaming-tv

I know what every gay guy in your life did last weekend. No, it wasn't cooking Ina Garten's stuffing recipe for Thanksgiving, listening to the new Rosalía album on repeat, or posting "like for the alt" on X. (Okay, they probably did those things too). What every gay guy did last weekend, at least those with HBO Max subscriptions, was watch Heated Rivalry, a slutty romance about two hockey players if not in love then at least in very graphic lust.

Tubi is best known for its free slate of Gen Z-friendly shows and nostalgia-inducing movies, but sports have played a small yet important role in its rise. The Fox-owned free streamer, which became profitable for the first time last quarter, made a name for itself in 2023 with a viral Super Bowl ad. That month, Tubi ranked on Nielsen's ratings chart for the first time. Tubi reintroduced itself to football fans in February by streaming the Super Bowl at no cost. At its peak, more than 15 million people tuned into Tubi's Super Bowl simulcast.

Earlier this year, Nielsen reported that, for the first time, more people watch TV via streaming services than both broadcast and cable combined. According to "The Gauge" report, streaming accounted for 44.8% of TV viewership as of May 2025, while broadcast and cable together accounted for 44.2%. And as live sports increasingly become part of the streaming landscape, streaming viewership is not expected to slow down.