Tubi CEO Anjali Sud ‘excited' about company's plans to grow in Australia

News.com.au

2 days ago

The CEO of fast-growing streaming service has hinted at the company's plans to continue expanding in Australia.
Tubi was launched in the US in 2014 and, while it may not have the same name recognition among Aussies as competitors like Netflix and Binge, there is one major thing that sets it apart.
While customers of other streaming platforms have been hit with price hikes, Tubi's ad-supported services are completely free, with users able to access thousands of shows and movies without having to pay a cent.
The Fox Corporation-owned service has been available in Australia since 2019, with a library of about 7000 movies and TV shows, making it the largest free catalogue of its kind in Australia, even rivalling the amount of titles available to local Netflix users.
Speaking with news.com.au, Tubi CEO, Anjali Sud, said she is 'thrilled' about the work that is already being done in Australia, with plans to keep that momentum going.
'We feel right now that we have a lot of commitment to invest and to grow in Australia,' she said.
However, Ms Sud understands the company needs to 'earn' the attention and time of Australian viewers by adopting a 'local mentality'.
'We're very aware that to do this well all comes down to listening to Australian audiences and Australian viewers,' she said, adding that she was 'excited' for Tubi to continue to grow.
Asked if we could expect to see any Tubi jobs popping up Down Under anytime soon, the CEO said, 'I certainly hope so'.
'I very much hope that we'll continue to scale and be able to bring in folks into the team,' she said.
The company, which has over $1 billion in revenue, currently has under 700 employees, which is a leaner operation than many media companies operating at this scale.
However, Ms Sud believes this is a positive thing, noting they have tried to resist the bureaucracy that tends to occur and 'slow things down' as operations increase in scale.
Within the workplace itself, the CEO said there is a focus on cultivating an 'authentic' culture, which embraces all the different personalities within the team.
Team members are also encouraged to take 'big swings', regardless of whether it ultimately works out.
'We do a lot to actually not just celebrate success, but celebrate failure. Celebrate that, when you fail, you learn something and it's better to try than to not,' Ms Sud said.
'We've tried to destigmatise failure and really celebrate fearlessness.'
And it seems this mindset is working, with the company growing exponentially since Ms Sud joined the team as CEO towards the end of 2023.
In her first full year leading the company, Tubi's audience grew to more than 80 million users, expanded further globally by launching in the UK and solidified the streaming service as a major entertainment destination.
Ms Sud is no stranger to leading innovative, fast growing companies, previously serving as the CEO of global video platform Vimeo, a title she earned at just 33 years old.
She described the process as 'terrifying' but also 'transformational', with the role teaching her to trust her instincts, a lesson she has been able to put into practice since going over to Tubi.
'What I've learned is it's easy to kind of have conviction or passion or bet on something, but it's so much more powerful when that's coming from a really deep understanding of your users,' Ms Sud said, adding that Tubi's ability to listen to its users was one of the reasons she wanted to join the company.
The CEO also isn't afraid of making changes in order to ensure Tubi continues to grow.
One of the things she is most excited for when it comes to the future of the company is to help platform creators and connect them with wider audiences.
'I just think there are so many incredible, important stories out there that can't find their audience, and there are so many creators and storytellers, and even more emerging now in digital and social channels that want to be able to produce high quality, long form content,' she said.
'No one, even YouTube I think, has not yet cracked how to bring the creator economy to Hollywood.
Ms Sud knows this is a big goal and not something that will 'happen overnight', but, given Tubi's track record, it is something she believes can be done.
'We are really thinking about the future of entertainment, and we're really trying to embrace more diverse storytelling and more diverse storytellers,' she said.
'There is a lot to be excited about with that work.'