iWorld
Tubi to launch in Mexico with strategic partner TV Azteca
MUMBAI: Tubi (www.tubi.tv), the world’s largest free ad-supported video on demand (AVOD) service, today announced it will expand its service into Mexico later this year in collaboration with TV Azteca, one of the two largest producers of Spanish-language television programming in the world. As part of the deal, TV Azteca will offer advertising sales for Tubi in Mexico and promote the service to its massive audience via online and other platforms. In addition, some of TV Azteca’s most popular titles will be made available completely free to Tubi customers in Mexico, including Exatlón Mexico, MasterChef, and Lo que La Gente Cuente, among others.
Also announced today, Tubi will partner with Hisense – one of the world’s largest manufacturers of televisions – and their Vidaa platform to be the exclusive connected TV partner in Mexico. As part of its partnership with Hisense, Tubi will be preloaded and prominently placed on the Vidaa TV homepage with content also listed in the “Vidaa Free” section of the platform – as well as their dedicated “free content” button found on their remotes. Tubi will also be supported in-store with retail promotion this year and on retail packaging in 2021.
“We’re thrilled to collaborate with a world-class partner and, together with TV Azteca, launch a new free streaming home to some of Mexico’s most celebrated television franchises,” said Farhad Massoudi, CEO of Tubi. “Our expansion into Latin America is just beginning and we look forward to announcing additional territories in the future.”
“As part of TV Azteca’s transformation towards the future, we are looking forward to enhancing our distribution and make the best television productions available to a broader audience via Tubi,” said Alberto Ciurana, Chief Content & Distribution Officer for TV Azteca. “We are excited to be part of the construction of a more connected and technological Mexican audience.”
“Providing users with access to the best free content locally in every market and from all over the world is one of the key goals of our platform, and Tubi is a great partner for this,” said Guy Edri, EVP of Business Development for Hisense’s Vidaa platform. “The vast library of amazing content, provided by Tubi, is a great addition to our platform and will be a great benefit to consumers in Mexico. They will provide hours of high-quality entertainment in their language to buyers of Hisense TVs and will be completely free, which is a unique proposition not only in Mexico, but also globally.”
In September 2019, Tubi announced customers had streamed over 132 million hours of content – a 40% increase since May – and the service will launch in the UK in 2020. In addition to Hisense televisions, Tubi is available on Android and iOS mobile devices, Amazon Echo Show, Google Nest Hub Max, Comcast Xfinity X1, Cox Contour, and on OTT devices such as Amazon Fire TV, Vizio TVs, Sony TVs, Samsung TVs, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. Consumers can also watch Tubi content on the web at www.tubi.tv.
iWorld
Netflix cuts jobs in product division amid restructuring
Layoffs hit creative studio unit as leadership and strategy shifts unfold.
MUMBAI: The streaming wars may be fought on screen, but the latest plot twist is unfolding behind the scenes. Netflix has reportedly begun laying off several dozen employees from its product division as part of an internal reorganisation, according to a report by Variety. The cuts are believed to have primarily affected the company’s creative studio unit, which works on marketing assets such as in app trailers, promotional visuals and live experience content for the streaming platform.
The company has not disclosed the exact number of employees impacted.
According to the report, the layoffs were not tied to employee performance. Instead, the restructuring eliminated certain roles while other employees were reassigned to different teams within the organisation.
The roles affected are understood to include designers, producers and creative specialists responsible for marketing and brand experience initiatives.
The job cuts come as Netflix adjusts its leadership structure and reshapes its product and creative teams. Last month, Elizabeth Stone was promoted from chief technology officer to chief product and technology officer, giving her oversight of product, engineering and data operations across the company.
Earlier, in December 2025, Netflix also appointed Martin Rose as head of creative for global brand and partnerships, a move seen as part of a broader restructuring of the company’s brand and product functions.
Despite the layoffs, Netflix remains one of the largest employers in the streaming sector. The company is estimated to employ around 16,000 people globally, with roughly 70 percent of its workforce based in the United States and Canada. In 2023, the company reported approximately 13,000 employees, indicating that its headcount had grown significantly before the latest restructuring.
The workforce changes arrive at a time when Netflix is navigating a shifting financial and strategic landscape in the global entertainment industry.
The streaming giant recently secured $2.8 billion in additional cash after receiving a breakup fee from Paramount Skydance following its withdrawal from a deal involving Warner Bros. Discovery.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Netflix co chief executive Ted Sarandos explained that the company had evaluated multiple scenarios during the negotiations but chose not to match the competing offer once it learned that a higher bid had been submitted.
Netflix had capped its offer at $27.75 per share and ultimately stepped back rather than pursue Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition deal, which included a personal guarantee.
Sarandos also cautioned that the financing structure behind the Paramount Skydance transaction could have ripple effects across the entertainment industry.
According to him, the debt heavy deal could trigger significant cost cutting, with David Ellison, chief executive of Paramount Skydance, expected to eliminate about $16 billion in costs and potentially cut thousands of jobs as part of the integration process.
For Netflix, the current restructuring appears to be part of a broader attempt to streamline operations while continuing to invest in product, technology and global content even as the streaming industry enters a new phase of consolidation and financial discipline.
