On March 1, Tubi is set to bring over 100 beloved classic cartoons to its streaming catalog. The fresh list of imports includes multiple “Scooby-Doo” titles, “Tom & Jerry”, “The Justice League,” and other classics that should make anyone over the age of 25 nostalgic as all get out.

The decision to bring in the bulk of these cartoons follows a competitor slashing its catalog, leading Tubi to pick up the mantle. Most of the lineup features older Cartoon Network shows, with a few Warner Bros. titles sprinkled throughout. With these latest additions, the entirely ad-supported streaming platform is becoming an increasingly interesting player in the space.

Tubi keeps building on earlier wins

As it turns out, you can make money off of things people have always enjoyed

The first domino to fall in this entire process was HBO Max dropping “Looney Tunes” from its catalog back in March 2025. Since then, it’s become Tubi’s best money-maker. Warner Bros. continues to distance itself from the popular IP, and in response, Tubi can’t get enough of it.

“On its own, Looney Tunes is a huge win for us,” Tubi’s head of acquisitions, Samuel Harrowitz, told Vulture in an interview.

Now, Tubi is seeking to build on that momentum and become a home for those looking to connect with their own children over something they share an interest in — cartoons. Harrowitz also said that Tubi plans on keeping “Looney Tunes” in its catalog for the foreseeable future. In doing so, Tubi is quietly building a streaming hub for cartoon lovers and carving out its own larger niche in the marketplace.

Tubi’s ad strategy looks to replicate classic cartoon viewing

With creative ad placement and timing, Tubi is embracing nostalgia

One of the more innovative ways Tubi packages its cartoon lineup is by intentionally replicating classic viewing experiences. Instead of throwing in an ad right in the middle of the most tense moment of action, Tubi packages the classic short cartoons into 30-minute episodes, with ad breaks every half hour. The goal is to recreate the classic experience of watching the Saturday morning cartoons on TV, just without the constant antenna adjustment or varied audio levels.

If one takes a second to look, they’ll find that Tubi isn’t the only company playing off nostalgia in 2026. Nikon’s ZF line of cameras blends modern tech and classic looks, and I even bought a Bluetooth-equipped record player the other day just for one album. From cameras to clothes, the early 2000s are making a comeback in a big way, and that includes our media diets. (Except for newspapers. They still haven’t figured that one out yet.)

Back catalog buy-outs can be moneymakers after all

Tubi isn’t putting anyone out of business, but they’re giving the big streaming companies something to look at

Over the past few years of the streaming wars, we’ve seen companies find value in shows that were once in others’ back catalogs. “Suits” stagnated for a while until it was put on Netflix, and Apple TV+ has shifted to licensing out external content rather than relying solely on its own proprietary shows. The brass at Tubi saw these shows withering away in the back catalogs of larger streamers and realized they were being drowned out, from a marketing perspective, by original, proprietary content.

By simply shifting its marketing towards these classics, Tubi has carved out its own niche in the space. People are willing to watch ads if they feel like their needs are still being catered to, and it never hurts not to charge them a dime for it, either.