The hidden cost of using Tubi and other free TV services

It’s no secret that streaming services are getting more expensive, and subscribing to all of them brings you to a price that rivals or surpasses the cost of a traditional cable plan. While it was a nice idea while it lasted, ditching the cord and going for streaming platforms instead isn’t guaranteed to be a better deal than having cable anymore. There are still some ways to save cash and keep up with a wide range of TV and movies, and it’s done by checking out the free streaming services.

Popular options include Tubi and Freevee, although the latter option is sunsetting and rolling into Amazon Prime Video. The draw of these services includes no subscription cost, so you can hop in and watch what you want without a month or year-long commitment. The downside of this is ads interrupt your experience, and although you aren’t charged for a dollar amount, you still have to pay a price with your information. Whether that matters or not varies by person to person, but it’s the hidden cost of going for a streaming service that has no monthly fee.

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Unsplash / Dario / Erol Ahmed / Erik Mclean / Pocket-lint

A lot of people gravitate to services like Tubi to dump the subscription costs, and that’s a totally understandable thing to do. While ads popping up during a movie aren’t ideal, it beats paying $20 a month for the most expensive tier of Max for a lot of people. Tubi doesn’t come with the bells and whistles Max does like 4K or Dolby Atmos support, but that’s not what you’d expect from a service like this. Instead, you get a wide range of movies to choose from that cost nothing to start watching.

While your wallet won’t feel a hit, you still pay with your information. In fact, you might be paying a lot more for your information than you originally thought. It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that companies have your data when you sign up for a service, but Tubi was the target of a class-action lawsuit recently that alleged the streamer “disclosed the “personally identifiable information” (as defined in the VPPA) of Tubi users in connection with advertising allegedly targeted at those users,” according to the wording of the lawsuit.

Although not every service gets hit with a lawsuit such as this, it’s foolish to think your data isn’t being taken for similar reasons, no matter what you’re signing up for. For streaming services, it can come in the form of targeted ads that a free service runs to keep itself free. This same thing applies to ad-supported tiers with other services, so you’re victim to the same circumstances even if the streamer costs money. Netflix raised its prices in 2024 to make its ad tier more appetizing, and at $6.99, it has a place. If you want the highest quality on Netflix, it’s out of the question, but there are a lot of people out there who don’t particularly care how their show looks or sounds.

In the case of Netflix, you’re getting a limited experience by paying less, but for Tubi, you’re getting the full-fat version as it’s all that’s offered. The only payment comes in the form of your data, and if that’s a price you’re willing to pay, there’s a lot of mileage you can get out of the service. For what it’s worth, I’m a big fan of Tubi as it often has obscure films I can’t find anywhere else. It doesn’t have the same streaming quality as some of the bigger services, but with no monetary charge, I can’t find much to complain about. For the record, I did submit my claim form for the Tubi class action lawsuit as well.

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