Tubi, a major content streaming platform supported by advertisements, will soon introduce the Matter Casting feature, as a recent certification has suggested.
Matter Casting is an open-source alternative to AirPlay and Chromecast. And this is a significant step for it, with Tubi joining the movement following Amazon’s ongoing promotion and contributions in this category.
The certification came shortly last week after Amazon’s recent moves to upgrade related devices and components to Matter 1.4, the latest major version. Considering Amazon is the only ecosystem among the top four players with Matter Casting support, Tubi is likely to work seamlessly with your Amazon Echo and Fire TV devices.
How does it work?
Matter Casting is a set of features related to content streaming. It enables video and audio casting from one device to another locally.
Playback control is also available, as with other streaming protocols, including AirPlay. This means you can use your phone as a remote for play/pause, skipping forward, and controlling the volume.
In addition, there are some advanced features that streamline configuration and user experience. For instance, Matter Casting allows easy login on devices where a keyboard and two-factor verification are less accessible, such as TVs or smart home hubs with small displays.
So in theory, with Matter Casting support, you’d enjoy an experience similar to the seamless integration of iPhone, Apple TV Streaming, and Apple TV, but with broader cross-platform compatibility.
Matter Alpha has reached out to Tubi for comment, but had not received a response by the time of publication.
What’s next for Matter Casting?
Owned by Fox Corporation, Tubi operates with a distinctive model – free to use with ads. It reached 100 million monthly active users in May, according to a press release. In comparison, the top U.S. streaming platform, Amazon Prime Video, is estimated to reach 260 million subscribers globally in 2025, according to business insight firm GrowthDevil.
As major content providers move to support Matter Casting, ecosystem and hardware manufacturers may soon follow, benefiting from advertising and subscription revenue sharing.
Similar to other segments supported by Matter, smaller firms could also benefit from this trend, given a lower barrier to entry into the content streaming ecosystem.
Moreover, the open-source community stands to gain. If Matter Casting, an unlicensed protocol, becomes mainstream, enthusiasts and independent developers could integrate the feature into existing platforms and hardware for better local smart home entertainment, if top players allow connections from uncertified devices.
(Source: CSA, Tubi, GrowthDevil)
