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As a result:
- Fubo has quietly increased its Sports package to $65 a month by adding NBC channels, but PCWorld’s analysis shows it offers fewer channels than YouTube TV and DirecTV at a similar price.
- Regional sports fees increased to $13-$17 per month in major markets, bringing total costs to over $100 per month and making Fubo less competitive than alternatives.
- Despite the interface’s attractive features, Fubo’s value proposition has weakened significantly, with standalone team streaming plans potentially offering greater savings when covering specific sports.
Now that live TV streaming service Fubo is bringing back NBC channels, the billing deadline for those channels is approaching.
Disney-owned Fubu quietly announced the steep price increase in a support document on its website. Basic packages are increasing by $15 per month, while Fubo’s narrower sports plan is increasing by $9 per month and regional sports fees are increasing in four major markets.
While Fubo’s sports offerings seemed incomplete without NBC channels, alternative packages YouTube TV and DirecTV are in many cases cheaper or offer more channels for the same price. So, if you’re one of the 6 million people paying for Fubo today, it’s time to reevaluate your options.
Fubo Price Increase on NBC
Fubo is still in the process of adding NBC channels. Once the rollout is complete, NBC and NBCSN will be available on Fubo’s Basic and Sports plans. Fubo’s basic plans already add Telemundo, regional networks NBC Sports and Cozi, with Bravo to follow. Fubo’s Spanish-language plans also include Universo.
Notably, Fubo is not reinstating CNBC, MS Now, USA Network, Golf Channel, Oxygen, E! or SyFy. Comcast spun off those channels into a separate company called Versant earlier this year, and Fubo does not have a carrier agreement with the new company.
Here’s a quick look at Fubo’s latest price increases:
- Fubo Essential/Pro/Core: $73.99 → $88.99 per month. + regional sports camps
- Fubo Elite/Ultra: $83.99 → $98.99 per month. + regional sports camps
- Fubo Ultimate: $98.99 → $113.99 per month. + regional sports camps
- Fubo Deluxe: $103.99 → $118.99 per month. + regional sports camps
- Fubo Sports: $55.99 → $64.99 per month.
Comparison of slim sports bags.
Jared Newman / Foundry
As for regional sports fees, Fubo’s basic plans now include a $16 per month fee in Boston, Philadelphia and northern California, where Fubo offers NBC’s regional sports networks. In other markets, fees range from $13 to $17 per month. As before, Fubo hides these fees on its landing page and only reveals them during checkout.
When Fubo removed NBC channels last fall, it reduced the cost of its standard plans by $11 per month. Now they are raising them by $15-$18 per month. Taking into account regional sports fees, standard Fubo plans now start at $102 per month or $105 per month in markets with regional NBC Sports. Fubo Sports has never included NBC channels in its package, and the new $65 per month price reflects their inclusion.
What does Fubo look like now?
If you don’t need regional sports news, you’ll probably be better off without Fubo.
For example, Fubo’s $65/month sports package includes fewer sports channels than similar options from YouTube TV and DirecTV, which also cost $65/month:
- YouTube TV sports includes almost everything from Fubo Sports, plus TNT, TBS, USA, Golf Channel, NBA TV and regional NBC Sports channels in select markets. The Tennis Channel and Fox News are missing, although YouTube TV allows you to bundle all the major cable news channels for an additional $7 per month.
- DirecTV MySports ($65/month) includes almost everything from Fubo Sports, plus TNT, TBS, USA, Golf Channel, MLB Network, NBA TV and NHL TV. The DirecTV plan lacks the Tennis Channel, NBCSN and Fox News, although you can bundle all the major cable news channels for an additional $15 per month. (The biggest omission is NBCSN, which airs live sporting events that would otherwise be exclusive to Peacock.)
If you want a larger package that includes more than just sports and local channels, Fubo is once again one of the more expensive options when you factor in regional sports fees. At $102 per month or more, it’s more expensive than other major live TV streaming packages like YouTube TV ($83 per month), Hulu+ Live TV ($90 per month), and DirecTV Entertainment ($90 per month). These options also include increased coverage of national sporting events through TNT, TBS, USA and Golf Channel.
But if you really want regional sports, the calculation gets more complicated.
The only other live streaming package with extensive regional sports coverage is DirecTV Choice, which costs $95 per month plus regional sports fees ranging from $8 to $24 per month. (You can calculate DirecTV’s commission here, and Fubo forces you to ask questions to a chatbot on its website.) Fubo’s plans will always be a little cheaper, and the inclusion of NBCSN has some value since it streams live sports that would otherwise require a Peacock subscription. Again, you’ll miss some of the coverage of national sporting events on TNT, TBS, USA and Golf Channel.
Another option for regional sports is to subscribe to them separately. For example, each MLB team now offers separate streaming plans, and similar options will be available for basketball and hockey in the fall. Combining these plans with a cheaper pay TV package (or no package at all) is often the best way to save money.
None of this is to say that a Fubo subscription is completely useless. The service has an attractive interface, easy-to-use DVR features, and split-screen multi-viewing (at least on Roku and Apple TV devices). In some narrow cases it may also be cheaper than alternatives.
However, Fubo’s packages were more unique while the company was still battling with NBC, as customers could either pay for a separate Peacock subscription to make up for missing channels or pocket the money they saved. Now that Fubo and NBC have made peace, that flexibility is gone.
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