Did you know that you can stream channels like “CNN,” “Fox Sports,” and “MTV” for free, all without an expensive pay TV subscription?
It’s true—as long as you don’t pay too much attention to what’s on those channels (and ignore my use of scare quotes). With the success of free streaming services such as Pluto TV, The Roku Channel (aff), Xumo, and Plex, TV networks have found a new and somewhat disingenuous way to cash in: They’re providing these services with free live streams that have the same or similar branding as their paid cable channels. The catch is that the two versions have hardly any of the same content.
This week’s launch of “Sports on Tubi” is the latest example, imbuing the service with free channels from the likes of Fox Sports, the NFL, MLB, and BeIN Sports. Because those channels aren’t in the business of giving away their best content, Tubi’s offerings will mostly consist of reruns.
None of this is a problem if you know what you’re getting. But as more of these channels arrive, they could very well give cord-cutters the wrong impression about what they can watch without a big TV bundle.
Surveying the fake cable channel scene
PlutoTV’s free CNN live stream is the perfect example of what I’ll refer to as a fake cable channel. The branding is exactly the same as CNN proper, and Pluto’s channel guide doesn’t suggest anything different, advertising only “The Latest News from CNN.”