Tubi TV Future of TV HBO

Tubi TV trends on reddit after launching advertising campaign based on HBO's Silicon Valley

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By Natan Edelsburg, SVP

July 21, 2015 | 4 min read

Tubi TV is attempting to become as well known as Hulu, Netflix and Amazon. The OTT platform has already some big content deals that includes access to the libraries of Paramount and Starz. To raise the profile of the company and to recurit talent they recently launched a massive advertising campaign that taps into the zeitgeist of HBO's Silicon Valley.

Tubi TV

They're trending on reddit and are continuing to build on the campaign by even ordering their employees "Tres Commas" shirt based off the hilarious and fictional tequilla brand that a crazy investor on the show comes up with to show off that he's a billionaire.

Found Remote interviewed Kevin Leu, Tubi's Director of Marketing and Growth about the creative advertising push.

Found Remote: What does Tubi TV do? Why is it unique?

Kevin Leu: In terms of content hours, Tubi TV has the largest amount of content of any free TV and Movie platform. Our largest content partners are Paramount, Starz, and The Outdoor Channel.

We can be found on several OTT devices (Roku, Xbox, Amazon Fire, and more), including web, iOS, and Android.

FR: Why did you create the billboard and tshirts?

KL: We love the show. During the season, you can hardly find someone who ISN'T talking about Silicon Valley in Silicon Valley. After Game of Thrones, it's easily the most talked about show and we thought their satirical look at Silicon Valley was due for a taste of their own medicine! As for the t-shirts, Russ Hanneman, who's said to be based on Mark Cuban, uses "tres commas" to reference the billionaire's club. There's also a phrase thrown out around the real Silicon Valley about "Unicorns", which are billion-dollar companies. We believe we can get to that point, thus the t-shirts.

FR: How were you able to afford the billboards?

KL: We have previously raised venture capital and make money through advertisements on our various platforms. This year, Tubi TV has grown from 13 employees to 25 currently. By the end of the year, we should be at 40.

FR: Have you heard at all from HBO? Are you worried they'll send a cease and desist?

KL: We have not heard from HBO, but I don't think we're doing the show a disservice at all. They've taken liberties at skewering our workplace environment -- I'm sure they have a good sense of humor as well!

FR: Who is your favorite Silicon Valley character and why?

KL: My favorite Silicon Valley character would have to be Richard Hendricks. Even though he is quite frustrating at times, at his core, he's a good person. He makes a lot of mistakes, but he learns from them and continues to adapt -- which is, really, what makes Silicon Valley entrepreneurs so great.

FR: Anything else?

KL: We currently have 40 transit shelter posters live around the city and will have three more billboards going up this summer.

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Tubi TV Future of TV HBO

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