FuboTV

FuboTV (stylized as fuboTV) is an American streaming 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
TypePublic
NYSE: FUBO
IndustryPay television
FoundedJanuary 1, 2015 (2015-01-01)
HeadquartersNew York City, New York,
United States
Area served
United States
Canada
Spain
ServicesStreaming television
SubsidiariesFubo Sports Network
Websitefubo.tv

Launched on January 1, 2015 as a soccer streaming service, FuboTV changed 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.[4]

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

The company said it expects to end 2020 with over 545,000 paid subscribers, an increase of more than 72% year-over-year.[6]

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.[7]

During its first five years, investors in FuboTV include AMC Networks, Luminari Capital, Northzone, Sky, and Scripps Networks Interactive.[8] FuboTV was named to Forbes’ Next Billion-Dollar Startups list in 2019.[9]

According to Fast Company, FuboTV still calls itself *sports-first", but instead of being "the Netflix of soccer", it is pitching itself as a direct competitor to cable television and 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 was the first to adopt an industry standard for handling sports blackouts.[10]

In December 2018, Fubo announced that it was going to expand into Spain.[11]

2019

On February 20, 2019, it was announced that channels from Viacom Networks were going to be added on April 30, 2019.[12][13] ViacomCBS owns an undisclosed stake in fuboTV.[14]

On March 5, 2019, FuboTV expanded its 4K support to the Big Ten Network.[15]

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.[16]

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.[17]

2020

ViacomCBS channels launched on fuboTV in Spain in 2020.[18]

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.[19]

FuboTV launched the NHL Network on March 9, 2020 with plans to add the MLB Network and MLB network Strike Zone "in the coming weeks" and bringing all four professional sports league networks to the platform.[20]

On March 23, 2020, fuboTV was acquired by FaceBank Group, a publicly listed virtual entertainment technology company founded by media technology entrepreneur John Textor. fuboTV was renamed fuboTV Media, Inc., and Facebank Group was renamed fuboTV, Inc., to be led by original 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.[21] Following its merger with FaceBank Group, FuboTV began trading on the OTC under the ticker symbol FUBO.

In the months following the merger, John Textor resigned his post as Executive Chairman, and the company named former Warner Music Group Chairman Edgar Bronfman Jr. as Executive Chairman of the Board. Other directors, such as early Spotify investor Par-Jorgen Parson and venture capitalist Daniel Leff were also named to the Board. All three were early investors in FuboTV.[22]

On May 1, 2019, FuboTV added Comet to its lineup.[23]

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.[24] it would go live on August 1.[25]

On July 1, 2020, FuboTV dropped all "Turner Networks" which included CNN, TBS and Turner Classic Movies among others.[26]

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.[27]

On September 15, 2020, FuboTV said it expected to close 2020 with 410,000–420,000 subscribers as a result of the return of sports during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company also announced it was approved to list on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) "conditional upon successful pricing of this offering, under the ticker symbol FUBO."[28]

On October 7, 2020, fuboTV completed its initial public offering as a New York Stock Exchange company, raising roughly $183 million in proceeds.[29]FuboTV began trading on the NYSE under the ticker symbol "FUBO" on October 8, 2020, as fuboTV shares jumped 10% in their market debut.[29]

FuboTV delivered what it said was record revenue and subscriber numbers during the third quarter of 2020. The company also announced its plans to enter the online sports wagering market with details to be announced.[30]

In December 2020, FuboTV acquired Balto Sports, which owns contest automation software. The company said the acquisition marked the first step of its online wagering strategy, which will start with free to play games and then expand into wagering integrated with its live streaming video.[31]

FuboTV added more premium entertainment with the launch of EPIX and STARZ channels in December 2020.[32] It also reached an agreement with Nexstar Media Group to begin carrying WGN America in January 2021.[33]

2021

In January, FuboTV announced more details of its expansion into online sports wagering. With the December 2020 Balto Sports acquisition, the company said it plans to launch a free to play gaming app by the summer of 2021. The app will be available to all consumers nationwide, whether they are FuboTV subscribers or not. The company also said it plans to integrate free gaming into the FuboTV platform. Additionally, FuboTV announced it intends to acquire sports gaming company Vigtory and will launch its own sportsbook before the end of the year. With the Vigtory acquisition, FuboTV will also receive Vigtory's pipeline of market access deals, including a completed agreement with Iowa through Casino Queen. Like free gaming, the company said it plans to launch the sportsbook as an app first before integrating it into the FuboTV user experience. FuboTV CEO told The Wall Street Journal he expects sports wagering to not only generate more revenue for FuboTV but also make it more likely that customers will pay closer attention to sports and tune in more often.[34]

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.[35] fubo Sports Network later launched on smart TVs like Samsung TV Plus and LG Channels powered by XUMO[36] and on The Roku Channel.[37]

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.[38] 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.[39]

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.[40]

As of May 19, 2020, Fubo Sports Network is available on 75 million devices, according to the company.[41]

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.[42]

Features

FuboTV built its tech stack internally[43] and, in 2017, launched features like Cloud DVR storage, pausing and unpausing live streams and lookback of previously aired content for 72 hours[44] 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.[45]

FuboTV became the second over-the-top internet television service to get integrated to the TV app on Apple TV, iPhone, and iPad.[46]

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.”[47]

FuboTV's second national advertising campaign, a series of commercials called "Don't Compromise," launched in August 2018 and targeted cord-cutters.[48]

References
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  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. "FuboTV Expects to Exceed 545,000 Subscribers After Q4". fiercevideo.com. 2021-01-05. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  7. "The little live-TV streaming service that could – Fast Company". fastcompany.com. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
  8. "Streaming sports service fuboTV raises $75 million from AMC and others – TechCrunch". techcrunch.com. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
  9. "Next Billion Dollar Startups". forbes.com. 2019-07-16. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
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  12. NICKINSON, Phil (2019-04-25). "fuboTV adding Viacom channels on April 30, 2019". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved 2019-04-27.
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  14. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/how-viacomcbs-has-sharpened-its-focus-on-streaming-via-deals
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  16. 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.
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  24. Jenkins, Aric (2020-06-24). "fuboTV Deal with Disney Makes It a Force in Sports Streaming". Awful Announcing. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
  25. Gurwin, Jason. "fuboTV to Start Streaming ESPN, Disney Channel, ABC & Others Tomorrow (August 1st)". The Streamable. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
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  30. Evans, Pat (2020-11-11). "FuboTV's Strong Quarter". Front Office Sports. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
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  32. Barnes, Jess (2020-11-12). "fuboTV Will Begin Offering Epix Add-On Today". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
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