85 South Media is turning a YouTube-native comedy brand into licensed Tubi inventory, and the first visible move is a 10-episode collection.
What’s moving to Tubi
Atlanta-born 85 South Media is expanding its relationship with Tubi through a distribution deal for The Best Of The 85 South Show, a curated package of 10 episodes. The collection features Karlous Miller, DC Young Fly and Chico Bean, and is being positioned as the first step toward a larger presence on the free streaming service, with additional content still to be announced.
- 10 episodes of The 85 South Show are curated for the first collection.
- It is described as a first step, not a one-off; more titles are to be announced.
- The deal builds on an existing relationship that already includes a feature film.
The numbers that made this appealing
The 85 South Show began as an independently produced comedy podcast and has since become a franchise. It has accumulated more than 750 million YouTube views and built an audience of more than 2.56 million subscribers. That is a measurable, owned audience a free streaming platform can convert into ad-supported viewing time.
“85 South started with a small team, a few microphones and a shared belief that we could build something of our own,” Chad Oubre, CEO and co-founder of 85 South Media, said in a statement to Deadline.
Why a Tubi deal makes sense
For Tubi, the collection adds creator-led comedy to an AVOD library that depends on repeat viewing and lower-cost catalogue hours. For 85 South Media, distribution with Tubi provides a new audience without surrendering the independent business it has built across original programming, touring and talent.
The creator-to-streamer pipeline
The deal fits a wider shift: YouTube-native shows are increasingly packaged as licensed libraries for free streaming. The platform gets a known title with built-in audience data; the creator gets incremental distribution without leaving owned and live revenue streams. For buyers, a catalogue like this is less about appointment viewing and more about retention and ad load.
Beyond the catalogue play
The relationship already reaches into film. In October 2025, Tubi announced an exclusive content slate with Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat that included 85 South: Dead End, a satirical horror comedy following the trio on a Southern road trip that goes wrong in a town where nobody leaves. That film is slated to bow on Tubi next year.
The company is also expanding live entertainment in 2026: the Karlous Miller Residency in Atlanta, the Pour Minds: Still Sippin’ nationwide tour, and 85 South Presents: 5 On It.
What planners should watch
The pattern here is creator-owned audience becoming platform-licensed inventory. For entertainment marketers, the test is whether a Best Of collection can bring YouTube-scale reach into free streaming, then funnel viewers toward the original film and live shows.
Source: Deadline
