I often have to bring my child in to the office with me and am wondering if there’s a free streaming service that has kid-friendly content. They’ll probably be watching on a computer monitor, not a television.
One of my favorite streaming services is free – in fact you can’t pay for a subscription! – and has tons of content and an entire kid’s section: Tubi.TV. What most people don’t realize is that Tubi is owned by Fox and has over 75 million subscribers. That’s a lotta people! Fox has a lot of children’s content too, both TV series and movies, but it’s also organized so that you can ostensibly park your child in front of the computer and know they won’t be exploring age-inappropriate content.
But you don’t have to just watch it through your Web browser, there are also Tubi apps for lots of smart TVs and set-top boxes, including Roku, Fire Stick, and AppleTV units. Yes, there are adverts, but it’s essentially like old-school over-the-air and cable TC channels, 80-80% show, 15-20% ads that are easily ignored.
SIGN UP FOR TUBI
Your starting point should be to set up your account in advance. All you need is an email address. Go to Tubi.TV and you should see something like this:
It’s tempting to immediately try to start exploring, but you need to set up an account first. That’s done by clicking on “Register” on the top right. You can register with your Facebook or Google account, but I always recommend setting up a new and independent account via email with its own password…
One really nice thing is that you don’t have to actually remember your password because every time you go to log in to TubiTV, you can easily request an instant login link:
Click on “sign in without a password?” and moments later this will show up in your registered email address mailbox:
It doesn’t get easier than that, and it’s also very work-friendly so you don’t have to panic if you forget your password while your child drives you a bit bonkers.
EXPLORING TUBI OFFERINGS
Once you’re logged in you’ll see your name displayed on the top right. You’ll also see the main navigational options along the top (and a “Sign Out” option off the menu revealed by clicking on your name, for when you’re done watching).
The site has hundreds of movies and TV shows, including quite a bit for adult audiences and an entire category of programas en español también!
Click on “Live TV” to see some of the options for live programming:
Sports, sci-fi, drama, weather, just as many options as with an expensive cable package. Just without a bill at the end of the month!
You could also examine the movie or TV offerings by choosing the appropriate category and scrolling down to see the options. For example, in the movies category there are hundreds of “Family Movies”…
But if you want your child to be able to choose their own programming, your best bet is “Tubi Kids”, the rightmost option on the very top.
FREE CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMING WITH TUBI KIDS
Once you click on the “Tubi Kids” link, here’s what you’ll see:
Notice that the other options for Movies, TV Shows, Live TV and similar have all vanished. Less chance of the wee ones accidentally watching something inappropriate. Instead, there are family movies, tv shows, and lots more.
Choose one – I’ll choose the amusing Cats – and it’ll immediately start playing:
There are on-screen controls that appear when you move the cursor over the movie portion, including one that expands the content to be full screen. And that’s it. Tubi Kids is a really good option for your own children.
Pro Tip: I’ve been writing about streaming video and TV options for many years. Please check out my computer basics help area while you’re visiting for more helpful tutorials. Thanks!