FuboTV

FuboTV (stylized as fuboTV) is an American over-the-top internet television service that focuses primarily on channels that distribute live sports, including NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and international soccer, plus news, network television series and movies.[1]

"Fubo" redirects here. For the Chinese military general, see Ma Yuan (Han dynasty).
FuboTV
Public Company
Traded asOTCQB: FUBO
IndustryPay television
FoundedJanuary 1, 2015 (2015-01-01)
HeadquartersNew York City, New York,
United States
Area served
United States
Canada
Spain
ServicesOTT television
SubsidiariesFubo Cycling
Fubo Sports Network
Websitefubo.tv

Launched in January 2015 as a soccer streaming service, FuboTV pivoted to an all-sports service in 2017 and then to a virtual multichannel video programming distributor (vMVPD) model.[2] As a vMVPD, FuboTV still calls itself sports-first but its expanded channel lineup targets cord cutters, offering a selection of major cable channels and OTT-originated features that can be streamed through smart TVs, mobile and tablets and the web.[3] The service is available in the United States, Canada and Spain as of 2018. FuboTV is the only vMVPD to launch outside of North America.[4]

There are several service options with different channel lineups, including the base package, fubo Standard, with 100+ channels, and add-on packages like Extra, Sports Plus, fubo Cycling, Latino Plus and Português Plus.[5]

During its first five years, investors in FuboTV include AMC Networks, Luminari Capital, Northzone, Sky, and Scripps Networks Interactive.[6] FuboTV was named to Forbes’ Next Billion-Dollar Startups list in 2019.[7]

In October 2018, FuboTV announced it was approaching 250,000 subscribers, a +100% increase over the prior year. It also had 30,000 net additions in Q3 2018, ahead of most of its larger competitors and a sign that interest in vMVPDs continues to grow.[8]

In January 2020, The Information website reported FuboTV currently has between 300,000-400,000 subscribers.[9]

On March 23, 2020, Bloomberg News reported FaceBank Group, a virtual entertainment technology company, entered into a merger agreement with fuboTV. Upon closing, the combined company will be named fuboTV and led by current fuboTV CEO David Gandler. According to the article, fuboTV plans to leverage Facebank's IP portfolio to create new streaming experiences for consumers and also expand internationally. FaceBank is traded on the OTC exchange and, following the merger, Gandler noted the company plans to uplist to a major stock exchange. [10]

Following its merger with FaceBank Group, FuboTV began trading on the OTC under the ticker symbol FUBO. The company announced its intention to uplist to a major stock exchange "in the coming months." [11]

After the merger, former Warner Music Group Chairman Edgar Bronfman Jr. was named Executive Chairman of the Board and early Spotify investor Par-Jorgen Parson and venture capitalist Daniel Leff was named to the Board. All three were early investors in FuboTV.[12]

FuboTV announced in May 2020 that it closed 2019 with nearly 316,000 paid subscribers. The company also said revenues grew 96% in 2019 to $146.5 million.[13]

History

FuboTV was co-founded in January 2015 by David Gandler (CEO), Alberto Horihuela (CMO) and Sung Ho Choi. At launch, FuboTV cost $7 per month and offered live streams from soccer-centric channels. In early 2017, Fubo pivoted to become a broader streaming service, adding entertainment and news programming in addition to soccer and sports from NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL.[14]

According to Fast Company, FuboTV still calls itself “sports-first,” but instead of being the Netflix of soccer, it’s now pitching itself as a direct competitor to cable TV and to live-streaming bundles such as Sling TV and DirecTV Now. FuboTV was the first live-TV streaming service to support 4K HDR video (2018 World Cup), and it was the first to adopt an industry standard for handling sports blackouts. It also introduced dynamic ad insertion ahead of Hulu and YouTube TV.[15]

In December 2018, Fubo announced that they were going to expand into Spain.[16]

On February 20, 2019, it was announced that channels from Viacom Networks were going to be added on April 30, 2019.[17][18]

The Viacom channels launched on fuboTV in Spain in 2020. [19]

On March 5, 2019, FuboTV expanded its 4K support to BTN.[20]

On May 1, 2019, FuboTV added Comet to its lineup.[21]

In May 2019, fuboTV and FanDuel partnered to integrate sports betting data on the live TV streaming service. The deal included carriage of horse racing networks TVG and TVG2 network, both owned by FanDuel. [22]

On June 19, 2019, FuboTV announced that it will be adding the Discovery Networks joining the line up of Scripps Networks that were acquired by Discovery.[23]

On January 1, 2020, FuboTV dropped the Fox Sports Networks citing increasing carriage costs after the acquisition of the channels by the Sinclair Broadcast Group.[24]

fuboTV launched NHL Network on March 9, 2020 with plans to add MLB Network and MLB network Strike Zone "in the coming weeks" and bringing all four professional sports league networks to the platform. [25]

In June 2020, FuboTV announced a long-awaited deal with Disney Media Networks to bring ESPN and Walt Disney Television (ABC, Disney Channel, FX, Nat Geo, Freeform and more) to the sports-focused streaming service sometime in the summer. The deal was to make FuboTV a "force in sports streaming," according to Fortune. [26] it would go live on August 1st.[27]

On July 1, 2020, FuboTV dropped all "Turner Networks" which included CNN, TBS and Turner Classic Movies among others. [28]

As of August 2020, fuboTV offered sports, entertainment and news networks including ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, A&E, AMC, Bravo, Fox News, Disney Channel, Discovery, Food Network, Freeform, FX, HGTV, MTV, National Geographic, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, Showtime, Telemundo, TLC, TV Land, Univision and VH1. [29]

Fubo Sports Network

On June 27, 2019, FuboTV announced it launched a free ad supported linear channel called fubo Sports Network. The network is free to consumers on XUMO.[30] fubo Sports Network later launched on smart TVs like Samsung TV Plus and LG Channels powered by XUMO [31] and on The Roku Channel. [32]

After the initial soft-launch, the company announced on September 9, 2019, that it would be adding a slate of sports-oriented original programming to fubo Sports Network. Including "Call It A Night" and "Drinks With Binks," two talk shows hosted by journalist and comedian Julie Stewart-Binks; "The Cooligans," a soccer talk show hosted by New York comedians Alexis Guerreros and Christian Polanco; and "The Players' Lounge" hosted by Soccer Hall of Fame inductee Cobi Jones and PJ Harrison.[33] The company also made the live stream of fubo Sports Network available at the fubo Sports Network website

fubo Sports Network was added to the new Vizio Channels platform in April 2020. [34]

The company announced a partnership with former NBA All Star Gilbert Arenas to bring his "No Chill" podcast to fubo Sports Network as a weekly vodcast beginning May 2020. Retitled "No Chill with Gilbert Arenas," the show features Arenas and co-host Mike Botticello interviewing athletes, coaches and celebrities. [35]

Fubo Sports Network launched on Pluto TV on May 19, 2020 bringing total distribution to 75 million devices, according to the company. [36]

Fubo News

fuboTV launched a blog, fubo News, covering the latest sports news, analysis, insights and breakdowns "of the action on and off the field" in 2019. [37]

Features

FuboTV built its tech stack internally [38] and, in 2017, launched features like Cloud DVR storage, pausing and unpausing live streams and lookback of previously aired content for 72 hours [39] FuboTV offers two simultaneous streams as part of its base subscription package and, in March 2018, introduced a third stream for $5.99 per month. [40]

FuboTV became the second over-the-top internet television service to get integrated to the TV app on Apple TV, iPhone, and iPad.[41]

Supported devices

TV-connected

Mobile

Computer
  • Windows, Mac, and Linux with a compatible browser. Google Chrome is recommended but not the only compatible browser.

Marketing

In September 2017, FuboTV introduced Fubo Chávez, a fictional brand spokesperson. The character has appeared in three national TV commercials as well as digital advertising. He is promoted as “the World’s Greatest Fan.”[42]

FuboTV's second national advertising campaign, a series of commercials called "Don't Compromise," launched in August 2018 and targeted cord-cutters.[43]

gollark: GTech™ coefficient of friction adjustment arrays.
gollark: Imagine having things to do now.
gollark: Are they though? I mean, lots of them just have bad quirks for no apparent reason.
gollark: Um.
gollark: There are coordination problems involved.

References
  1. "FuboTV Reveals Its Package as It Takes on OTT Rivals in First TV Ads". adage.com. 2017-09-12. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  2. "FuboTV Launches New Beta of Bigger OTT-TV Service". multichannelnews.com. 2017-02-10. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  3. "FuboTV is Preparing to Battle Hulu, YouTube TV with Better Technology". businessinsider. 2017-02-11. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  4. "FuboTV Takes Its Cord Cutting Service Overseas". fastcompany.com. 2017-12-03. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  5. Channels – fuboTV, retrieved 2019-11-14
  6. "Streaming sports service fuboTV raises $75 million from AMC and others – TechCrunch". techcrunch.com. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
  7. "Next Billion Dollar Startups". forbes.com. 2019-07-16. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  8. "fuboTV Says Nearly 250K Subscribers Have Signed Up for Its TV Streaming Service". TechCrunch.com. 2018-10-15. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  9. "Why 2020 Could Bring a Merger Wave to Online Sports". Theinformation.com. 2020-01-06. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
  10. "Streaming Company fuboTV Agrees to Combine with FaceBank". Bloomberg.com. 2020-03-23. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  11. "FuboTV Announces Ticker Symbol Change to "FUBO"". BusinessWire. 2020-04-30. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  12. "FuboTV Appoints Par Jorgen Parson to Board of Directors". TheOrg.com. 2020-05-26. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  13. "FuboTV Reveals Subscriber Metrics, Says 2019 Revenue Surged 96% to $146.5 Million". Deadline. 2020-05-04. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
  14. "The little live-TV streaming service that could – Fast Company". fastcompany.com. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
  15. "The little live-TV streaming service that could – Fast Company". fastcompany.com. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
  16. Bouma, Luke (2018-12-03). "fuboTV is Launching in Spain". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved 2019-02-21.
  17. NICKINSON, Phil (2019-04-25). "fuboTV adding Viacom channels on April 30, 2019". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved 2019-04-27.
  18. Bouma, Luke (2019-02-20). "fuboTV Adds Viacom Channels Including MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon & More". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved 2019-02-21.
  19. Staff (2020-03-25). "ViacomCBS Networks Espana ce alia con la plataforma fuboTV". Europa Press. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  20. Bouma, Luke (2019-03-06). "fuboTV Expands 4K Support to The Big 10 Network". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved 2019-03-09.
  21. Bouma, Luke (2019-05-01). "fuboTV Adds Comet To Its Lineup". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved 2019-05-14.
  22. Perez, Sarah (2019-05-23). "FanDuel Partners With FuboTV To Bring Sports Betting Data to the Live TV Streaming Service". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
  23. Bouma, Luke (2019-06-19). "fuboTV is Adding 13 Discovery Networks Joining HGTV & Food Network". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved 2019-07-03.
  24. Bouma, Luke (2020-01-01). "fuboTV drops Fox Regional Sports Networks". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved 2020-01-02.
  25. Buckholtz, Andrew (2019-03-09). "fuboTV Adds MLB Network, MLB Strike Zone and NHL Network to Various Tiers". Awful Announcing. Retrieved 2019-03-24.
  26. Jenkins, Aric (2020-06-24). "fuboTV Deal with Disney Makes It a Force in Sports Streaming". Awful Announcing. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
  27. Gurwin, Jason. "fuboTV to Start Streaming ESPN, Disney Channel, ABC & Others Tomorrow (August 1st)". The Streamable. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
  28. Barnes, Jess (2020-07-01). "fuboTV Drops Turner Networks, Announces Price Increase". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
  29. "fubo.tv". fubo.tv. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  30. Spangler, Todd (2019-06-27). "fuboTV Launches Free, Ad-Supported Streaming Sports Network". Variety. Retrieved 2019-08-07.
  31. Lopez, Matt (2019-07-24). "fuboTV Launches Free, Ad-Supported Streaming Sports Network On Samsung and LG TVs". The Wrap. Retrieved 2019-08-07.
  32. Perez, Sarah (2019-08-13). "Roku Expands Its Free Live TV Selection with 5 More Channels Including Fubo Sports Network". Techcrunch. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
  33. Spangler, Todd (2019-09-09). "FuboTV Unveils Lineup for Free Streaming Sports Network". Variety. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
  34. Spangler, Todd (2020-04-07). "Vizio Adds 30 Free Streaming Channels to Smart TVs". Variety. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  35. Lafayette, Jon (2020-04-20). "EX NBA Star Arenas Brings Podcast to Fubo Sport". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  36. Lafayette, Jon (2020-05-19). "Fubo Sports Network Launches on Pluto TV". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
  37. "fubo News". fubo News. Retrieved 2019-03-24.
  38. "5 Questions with FuboTV CEO David Gandler". thewrap.com. 2018-11-14. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
  39. "FuboTV Lookback Feature Launches". cocrdcuttingreport.com. 2017-05-26. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
  40. "FuboTV Offers Third Stream". multichannel.com. 2018-03-28. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
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