The news: Tubi is giving advertisers a broader arsenal of contextual targeting tools through an expanded partnership with Viant.

• The free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) platform is tagging its on-demand content based on emotional and thematic cues, per Digiday, with categories such as “hopeful” or “suspenseful.”
• The tagging provides ad buyers with more precision and a more informed way to use Tubi's massive library, Tubi partnership SVP Vijay Rao said.

The bigger picture: Tubi’s tagging efforts come at an opportune time as FAST viewer engagement is soaring.

• We expect the number of US FAST viewers to reach 129.6 million in 2029, up from 116.8 million in 2025.
• The number of active households watching FAST monthly grew 12% YoY in August, per Wurl, and average daily viewing hours per household increased 16%.

Addressing a problem: Despite the growth in FAST viewership, advertiser adoption in the platform is lagging.

• Only 9.2% of connected TV (CTV) advertisers prioritize contextual targeting at a program level, such as show title or genre, per Gracenote.
• Over half (54%) said better content metadata would drive more CTV ad spending.

Tubi’s focus is addressing the persistent lack of contextual metadata around content type and mood—a shortcoming for FAST that could undermine the full potential of platforms like Tubi and lead to poor ad placement, ineffective campaigns, or even brand safety issues.

The opportunity: Ad fill rates continue to fall as content supply exceeds advertiser demand, per Wurl. Improving advertisers’ ability to selectively place content could change that trend, encouraging marketers to overlook some of FAST’s current drawbacks, including high churn and a lack of exclusive content.

• If Tubi’s content metadata evolves beyond simply “action,” “horror," or “comedy,” advertisers could also place ads on a hypercontextualized basis such as scene tone or plot evolution.
• “The hero saves the day … that’s content I want my ad to follow, versus avoiding negative scenes where somebody gets killed or there’s a car accident. … You just don’t want to be associated with that,” Viant CMO Jon Schulz said.

What brands should do: For CMOs, this represents a turning point—contextual intelligence is a strategic advantage for brand safety, emotional alignment, and performance in an increasingly fragmented streaming landscape.

Leaning into emotional targeting tools, like those provided by Tubi, will let marketers fully capitalize on FAST’s growth, the broad range of content on the platforms, and the opportunity to dominate ad fill.