Roku Channel And Tubi Will Stream Warner Bros. Discovery Shows Like Westworld
Warner Bros Discovery has finally nailed down plans to go the FAST route. Last year — in between an intense bout of cancellations and titles being pulled from their streaming home on HBO Max — the company announced plans to explore a free ad-supported television option (FAST). During the company's third-quarter earnings call, Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav made a point of saying that there's "a huge amount of content that's not even on [HBO Max/Discovery+] that's sitting with us that hasn't been put to monetize in the marketplace." In the spirit of cashing in, a new plan has been enacted. Over the next few months, 14 Warner Bros. branded FAST channels will arrive on Roku and Tubi.
Have you been longing to return to the days of cable television, with free TV shows being regularly interrupted by ads? Don't bother answering, because it's happening either way! The new Warner Bros FAST channels will feature popular titles including "Westworld," "The Bachelor," "Raised By Wolves," "F-Boy Island," and more. The partnership also includes about 2000 hours of on-demand content: meaning various TV series and movies from the extensive WBD library that includes HBO and HBO Max, Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Television, and more.
As for WBD's standalone FAST app, IndieWire reports that the project remains in development.
Welcome to the FAST track
Cord-cutters, beware — even in the world of streaming, the cable model will always find you. Expect to see these channels arrive on Roku sometime in Spring 2023. Meanwhile, Tubi will be rolling out its WBD content "as early as February 1 and throughout the month."
At the very least, this is good news for fans of the shows previously stripped from HBO Max — at least they will now be readily available. This is especially great for those invested in "The Nevers": TVLine reports that both deals include all 12 episodes of the series. The HBO original consists of 12 episodes, which were split into two six-episode parts. In early December of 2022, the series was canceled before the back six had aired and the entire thing was pulled from the HBO Max library by the end of the month. Now, all 12 will be available on both Roku ad Tubi, offering a degree of closure for the canceled sci-fi series.
Along with their launch into the world of FAST streaming, WBD is still gearing up to debut the merged HBO Max and Discovery+ streaming platform, which is set to begin in the U.S. this spring. Pricing and even the service's name remain a mystery.
Warner Bros FAST Channels
Per Variety, here's the list of all 14 new Warner Bros. Discovery FAST channels:
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WB TV Watchlist: premium TV shows series including "Westworld," "Raised by Wolves," "The Nevers," and "The Time Traveler's Wife"
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WB TV Reality: unscripted TV series including "Legendary," "FBoy Island" and "Finding Magic Mike"
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WB TV Family: collection of "family-friendly" series including "Head of the Class"
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WB TV Sweet Escapes: baking competition shows including "Cake Boss," "Extreme Cake Makers" and "Cake Wars"
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WB TV Paws & Claws: pet shows including "Dogs 101" and "My Cat from Hell"
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WB TV Slice of Life: series following people from "all corners of the world" including "Extreme Couponing," "Breaking Amish" and "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding"
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WB TV Welcome Home: Real estate and interior design shows including "Caribbean Life," "Buying Hawaii," and "Bahamas Life"
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WB TV At the Movies: Selection of classic films from the '70s, '80s and '90s
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WB TV How To: "curiosity-inspiring" series including "How It's Made," "How to Build Everything" and "How the Earth Works"
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WB TV Supernatural: shows including "Ghost Brothers," "Paranormal Lockdown" and "Ghost Asylum"
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WB TV Crime Series: shows including "Murder Chose Me," "A Crime to Remember," and "Murder Comes to Town"
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WB TV Mysteries: shows like "Mysteries at the Museum," "Mysteries at the Monument" and "Off Limits"
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WB TV Love & Marriage: shows including "Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta," "Four Weddings" and "A Wedding Story"
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WB TV Family Rules: series about real-life families including "Long Lost Family," "The Little Couple" and "My Five Wives"
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WB TV Keeping It Real: Reality shows including "The Bachelor," "The Bachelorette," "Bachelor in Paradise," "Finding Magic Mike" and "Fboy Island"
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WB TV All Together: shows with "characters who feel like family" including "Eight Is Enough," "Better With You" and "Head of the Class"