Gotcha! That had to be what Tubi TV, a streaming service owned by Fox was saying after the remote-control hijacking spoof ad they dropped during Sunday nights Super Bowl. Late in a tense, back and forth game that featured numerous momentum swings and drama, the broadcast went to commercial. Instead of the unimaginative, stale Pepsi commercial or another in the endless string of ads pimping electric vehicles, the game appeared to go back to a live shot from the booth. What happened next had America in a collective tizzy. Check this out.
In just 15 seconds, Tubi won the award for most valuable chaos-creator during the 2023 Super Bowl.
Tubi, a streaming service owned by Fox, aired a 15-second commercial that caused pandemonium among those watching the Super Bowl on Sunday night.
The ad showed the game’s commentators Greg Olsen and Kevin Burkhardt appearing to return from a commercial break, but someone with the remote begins clicking and changing the channel away from the game to Tubi.
To be clear, I didn’t fall for the ruse. The broadcast rarely cuts directly back to the booth for any NFL game, so this guy wasn’t fooled. However, people across the country were screaming at whoever was sitting on the remote.
The person then clicks on the 2005 film “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” leading the Tubi logo to appear.
The result of the ad? Pure outrage.
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Viewers expressed their confusion and frustration on Twitter.
“That Tubi commercial came on & I yelled at every single person in this room,” wrote one Twitter user.
Others said they were in the process of mending relationships with family members after accusing them of sitting on the remote or changing the channel. Some thought they had been hacked.
It was a creative ad, even though no one in their right mind wants to watch “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”. Terrible movie. That aside, it was a good ad. The advertising landscape on Super Bowl Sunday has devolved from must see television to being hit over the head with electric vehicles and products that seemingly don’t need advertised. Avocados? Pepsi? Why do either of these products need to be advertised? Tubi TV is a streaming service owned by Fox, founded in 2014. It is completely free with ads and features syndicated television and older movies. Pretty much what you’d expect from a free streaming service. However, the bet is their membership numbers went up after head-faking half of America. After all, this is Joe Biden’s America. Money is tight, and free is good so you have to cut back where you can, even if that mean having to watch Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
Featured image screen grab from embedded Youtube video