Fox‘s Tubi streaming service has nabbed streaming rights to the 1990s children’s hit “Barney & Friends” starting April 9.
In a deal with 9 Story Distribution, Tubi will have rights to the show’s first six seasons. It will become the exclusive home to Seasons 7-9 of “Barney,” which features future stars including Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato. Tubi added Seasons 10-12 non-exclusively to its library.
The purple dinosaur made a splash with the preschool set in its 1992 debut.
Tubi has emphasized children’s programming to draw viewers to the ad-supporting free streamer. “Barney & Friends” joins “Naruto,” “Transformers: Generation 1” and “Garfield and Friends” on the Tubi slate as well as content from famous franchises such as Scooby Doo, VeggieTales, Batman, The Wiggles and LEGO NINJAGO. The section includes almost 2,000 age-appropriate movies and TV shows, completely for free.
“Everyone’s favorite purple dinosaur is a wonderful addition to our happy family of iconic characters in Tubi Kids,” said Adam Lewinson, Tubi’s chief content officer. “We’re pleased to super serve our audience with six seasons of ‘Barney & Friends’ to delight a new generation of children.”
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“Barney & Friends” ran until 2009. The series catered to preschool-aged children and uses music and educational tools to celebrate the life skills of sharing, friendship and community. The purple dino’s “I love you” song is an iconic ditty for those who grew up in the 1990s.
Tubi, which boasts over 30,000 free movies and TV shows from over 250 content partners, is available on Android and iOS mobile devices as well as OTT devices like Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. Consumers can also stream content from Tubi on the web.
