Major League Wrestling has secured a new streaming home for MLW Fusion, with the flagship program set to air free on Tubi every Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET beginning September 17, 2026.
The agreement places MLW’s recently revived weekly series in front of Tubi’s sizeable free-streaming audience. Tubi has approximately 110 million monthly users, giving the promotion a potentially major platform as it looks to expand the reach of its programming without putting episodes behind a subscription paywall.
Fusion had been available free on YouTube before the Tubi arrangement. MLW brought the show back in May 2026 following a three-year hiatus, restoring the name that had long served as the company’s central television brand. The program will now hold a consistent weekly Thursday slot on Tubi, though the duration of the distribution deal has not been disclosed.
The announcement also carries added significance because of MLW’s previous antitrust litigation against WWE, a lawsuit that included allegations related to an earlier prospective relationship between MLW and Tubi.
For more background on this topic, read Logan Paul’s WWE Return Timeline Points to November Clearance.
A Free-Access Strategy for MLW
MLW CEO Court Bauer has consistently positioned accessibility as a key part of the promotion’s business approach. The move to Tubi continues that strategy, offering viewers a scheduled destination for Fusion while retaining a free entry point for fans who may not be inclined to add another paid streaming service.
“We built MLW around that, no paywalls, no subscription barriers, nothing standing between a fan and the show, and Tubi shares that same fan-first philosophy at scale,” Bauer said.
That philosophy has become increasingly notable within the wrestling media landscape. Major promotions have spent years pursuing rights agreements across traditional cable networks, broadcast television, subscription streaming platforms, digital video services, and proprietary applications. Those deals can provide important revenue and promotional support, but they can also create a barrier for casual viewers who must maintain a specific package or paid membership to follow weekly programming.
For MLW, Tubi presents a different type of opportunity. The service’s advertising-supported model means viewers can watch without a monthly fee. A regular timeslot may also give Fusion a more conventional television identity than a purely on-demand release, even as the show remains available through a streaming platform rather than a linear cable channel.
The Thursday schedule gives MLW a recurring weekly appointment for its audience. Consistency is especially important for a promotion rebuilding a series after an extended absence. Fans know when to expect new episodes, while the company has a fixed weekly window in which to promote matches, talent, championships, and developing stories.
Fusion’s Return Continues With a New Platform
MLW Fusion returned in May 2026 after being off the air for three years. The series has historically been MLW’s primary showcase, carrying the promotion’s major feuds and presenting its championship picture. Its revival represented an effort to reestablish a flagship weekly vehicle, and the Tubi agreement quickly gives that return a larger-scale distribution arrangement.
Before this deal, MLW had aired the revived program free on YouTube. Digital platforms have been central to wrestling’s ability to reach audiences outside the structures of conventional television, particularly for companies seeking international visibility and a direct relationship with viewers. YouTube remains a familiar place for fans to discover wrestling content, clips, interviews, and full events.
Moving Fusion to Tubi does not change the core element Bauer emphasized: the show will remain free to watch. Instead, it shifts the flagship series into an environment built around long-form streaming programming and a broad general-entertainment audience. Tubi’s scale provides MLW with a chance to find not only existing wrestling fans but also viewers browsing the platform for something new.
That discovery factor can matter greatly for a company operating in a crowded wrestling marketplace. Established fans often know where to locate programming from major organizations. Growth, however, can come from making a show easy to sample for people who are not already dedicated followers. A free platform with millions of monthly users can reduce the friction between seeing an MLW promotion and becoming a regular viewer.
MLW has not disclosed how long the Tubi deal will run. It also has not announced additional terms beyond the Thursday-night schedule and the planned 8 p.m. ET start time. As a result, the immediate focus is on the launch of the weekly presentation and how Fusion is positioned within Tubi’s catalog.
The History Behind MLW and Tubi
The new agreement is particularly striking in light of the legal battle that began in January 2022. At that time, MLW filed an antitrust lawsuit against WWE, alleging that the larger company had interfered with MLW’s efforts to secure distribution through third parties.
Among the allegations in the suit was MLW’s claim that WWE pressured Tubi, which is owned by Fox, to abandon a deal and end its relationship with MLW. The complaint alleged that Stephanie McMahon was the WWE official who persuaded Tubi to terminate its arrangement with the promotion. At the time, WWE’s SmackDown was airing on Fox.
The lawsuit was a major moment for MLW because it brought an independent wrestling company’s concerns about media access and competition directly into federal court. MLW alleged that WWE had used its market position to limit the company’s ability to gain distribution and grow its business. WWE disputed the claims during the course of the litigation.
The case did not go to trial. MLW and WWE reached a settlement in December 2023. Financial details were not publicly laid out by the companies at the time of the agreement. However, a TKO Group Holdings earnings report issued in February 2024 identified a $20 million cost connected to the settlement of an antitrust lawsuit involving WWE. MLW was not named in that report, but the reference was to the antitrust litigation involving WWE.
Now, nearly three years after the settlement and more than four years after MLW initially filed its complaint, Fusion has a weekly home on the very platform tied to those earlier allegations. The current deal does not erase that history, but it does underline how dramatically the business circumstances have changed since the lawsuit was launched.
Why the Tubi Deal Matters
For MLW, the significance of the deal extends beyond simply adding another place to watch. Distribution has long been one of the most consequential issues for wrestling companies outside the largest global brands. A promotion needs a dependable way to present its product, but it also needs that distribution outlet to be discoverable, sustainable, and aligned with its economic model.
A free Tubi slot answers several of those needs at once. It gives MLW a recurring home for its principal series, maintains broad access for fans, and connects the product to a service with a substantial existing user base. It may also provide an important promotional tool for live events, merchandise, talent development, and future programming initiatives.
The Thursday-night placement creates a clear rhythm for the company’s weekly activity. As with any wrestling television program, Fusion can be used to advance rivalries, establish contenders, build toward larger cards, and spotlight emerging performers. A reliable airing schedule makes those efforts easier for audiences to follow from week to week.
There is also a larger industry takeaway in MLW’s choice to prioritize free streaming. Wrestling distribution is no longer limited to one format. Promotions can pursue premium cable, broadcast television, paid streaming, social-video platforms, ad-supported services, or combinations of several outlets. MLW’s Tubi agreement demonstrates the continuing value of the free ad-supported streaming model for a company that wants maximum availability rather than exclusivity behind a paid tier.
Whether the arrangement translates into a measurable expansion of MLW’s audience will become clearer over time. The company has not released viewership expectations or performance benchmarks for the deal. Still, the move gives Fusion a major new platform at a time when the show is still in the early stages of its return.
What Fans Can Expect
MLW Fusion begins its Tubi run on Thursday, September 17, at 8 p.m. ET and is scheduled to continue in that same weekly timeslot. The series will be available without a subscription, in keeping with the promotion’s stated commitment to removing paywall barriers for viewers.
The agreement gives MLW an opportunity to build momentum around its relaunched flagship program while presenting itself to a wider streaming audience. It also closes a remarkable chapter in the company’s recent history: a platform once connected to allegations in MLW’s lawsuit against WWE is now set to carry the promotion’s signature weekly show.
For Bauer and MLW, the task now is to turn access into sustained attention. Tubi can place Fusion in front of a large number of potential viewers, but the weekly program will need to give those viewers reasons to return each Thursday. With a free timeslot, a revived flagship series, and a new distribution partner, MLW has positioned itself for its next attempt at growth.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.