Fox Corporation’s Tubi free ad-supported streaming service has partnered with Kickstarter to support independent filmmakers raising funds on the crowdfunding platform. The deal will bring more than 20 Kickstarter-funded films to Tubi for an exclusive period beginning this fall. As part of the arrangement, Tubi has joined with Kickstarter to launch the FilmStream Collective fund, which will channel completion funds to filmmakers active on the platform. Tubi reaches over 97 million monthly active users worldwide with FAST entertainment in the form of on-demand movies and TV episodes, including original content.

“Tubi is becoming the home for the next generation of Hollywood talent,” the platform’s CEO Anjali Sud said in an announcement. “Whether we’re bringing crowdfunded films onto the platform, turning a Wattpad novel into a movie or putting the power to greenlight in the hands of the fans — we are expanding the pathways for creators to grow their audience and adding greater diversity and differentiation to our content.”

“The plan is to assemble a library of 20 or possibly more films that have generated strong fan engagement on Kickstarter as a curated indie film package available exclusively on Tubi,” writes Variety, adding that “the effort is a sign of Fox-owned Tubi’s efforts to boost its profile in among content creators as a source of distribution and promotion for their projects.”’

The arrangement also sees Tubi and Kickstarter joining forces to launch the FilmStream Collective, which will provide a $10,000 pledge to 10 films with live Kickstarter campaigns. Additionally, those 10 films “will stream exclusively on Tubi for three months once they’re finished,” reports The Verge, adding that “the partnership feels very in line with some of Tubi’s other recent moves to posture itself as a streamer committed to cultivating new talent rather than just licensing content.” These include Stubios, launched last year.

In addition to the 10 films selected for FilmStream funding, “more Kickstarter-funded projects will be added to the Tubi collection on a rolling basis,” the partners say, providing details on how to get a project considered for participation in the FilmStream Fund, which has a 2025 submission deadline of August 31.

“The financial resources will help filmmakers cover post-production costs such as editing, sound, marketing, and other finishing expenses,” writes Deadline.

Kickstarter’s mission of helping creatives realize their project goals “means reaching beyond our core crowdfunding service finding aligned partners like Tubi who want to collaborate on reducing the barriers that stand in the way of creatives bringing their ideas to life,” Kickstarter CEO Everette Taylor explained in the announcement.