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This could be just what Fubo and its subscribers need.
Credit: Getty
Somewhere, a pig is catching some sweet air.
In a rare move for a streaming service, Fubo announced today that it’s lowering the prices for some of its subscription plans.
Fubo is a sports-focused vMVPD (virtual multichannel video programming distributor, or a company that enables people to watch traditional TV channels live over the Internet). Disney closed its acquisition of Fubo in October.
Today, Fubo announced that monthly prices for some of its “Live TV” subscription plans, which include hundreds of channels, including non-sports ones like FX and The Disney Channel, will be up to 14.8 percent cheaper. The new pricing starts with “bill cycle dates on or after January 1, 2026,” Fubo said.
Here are the new prices:
When streaming services make announcements about price, it almost always means higher costs for subscribers.
However, some subscribers likely feel that the price cut is a necessity and not a perk, since Fubo has not had NBCUniversal channels since November 21. The blacked-out channels include local NBC affiliates, Telemundo, nine regional sports channels (Fubo noted that subscribers may also pay lesser fees after the January billing cycles if any regional sports networks they previously received are no longer available on Fubo), and 32 channels, including Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC, and USA Network. Fubo previously announced that it would give subscribers a $15 credit due to the blackout.
A Fubo spokesperson told Ars Technica that the new prices “reflect NBCU pulling their networks from Fubo.”
Fubo’s representative said they couldn’t comment on whether the new prices would stick if Fubo gets NBCUniversal channels back because that’s “speculative.”
Fubo’s NBCUniversal blackout
In a statement on November 25, Fubo claimed that NBCUniversal is trying to overcharge Fubo for the channels that will live under Versant, a company to be created from the spinoff of NBCUniversal’s cable channels and other digital properties, which is supposed to debut in January.
“Despite them not being worth the cost to Fubo subscribers, Fubo offered to distribute Versant channels for one year,” Fubo said. “NBCU wants Fubo to sign a multi-year deal—well past the time the Versant channels will be owned by a separate company. NBCU wants Fubo subscribers to subsidize these channels.”
Fubo also accused NBCUniversal of using the maligned bundling tactics of the cable era to force it to “add expensive, non-sports channels, which will drive up the price paid by Fubo subscribers” to its cheaper Fubo Sports plans (currently $56/month).
Fubo also wants NBCUniversal to allow it to integrate NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service into its channel store. The vMVPD noted that NBCUniversal has allowed this for YouTube TV and Amazon Prime Video. Those are much bigger streaming services than Fubo, though; Fubo has 1.63 million subscribers. In 2024, YouTube TV claimed 8 million subscribers, and analysts have estimated that number has since reached 9.4 million. In November, Amazon said Prime Video’s ad tier had 315 million monthly viewers.
NBCUniversal told The New York Times last month that it offered Fubo “the same terms agreed to by hundreds of other distributors.”
“Unfortunately, this is par for the course for Fubo—they’ve dropped numerous networks in recent years at the expense of their customers, who continue to lose content,” NBCUniversal’s statement said.
Fubo’s lower prices could be a tactic to pressure NBCUniversal into agreeing to a deal rather than letting the partnership dissolve.
Alternatively, the price reduction could be a sign that Fubo doesn’t expect to restore NBCUniversal channels. It may not want them back either.
Fubo has previously alleged that Fox and Disney forced it to pay for dozens of unwanted channels by tying them to sports content.
vMVPDs were originally sold as a way to access slimmer bundles of cable channels so that you could spend less for a more focused content selection. But in general, packages have become loaded with more networks, pushing up subscription costs. Fubo customers have been complaining about prices increases, especially in comparison to other streaming services. Fubo’s value proposition took a major hit in January when a price hike made its base plan more expensive than YouTube TV’s.
“The reduced pricing reflects Fubo’s commitment to delivering a competitively priced premium live TV streaming experience,” Fubo’s announcement today said.
Fubo may have fewer channels for now, but if that means that it can offer lower prices, it may be more appealing to people, and Fubo might then stand a better chance at competing with the many larger streaming services.
Credit: Getty
Somewhere, a pig is catching some sweet air.
In a rare move for a streaming service, Fubo announced today that it’s lowering the prices for some of its subscription plans.
Fubo is a sports-focused vMVPD (virtual multichannel video programming distributor, or a company that enables people to watch traditional TV channels live over the Internet). Disney closed its acquisition of Fubo in October.
Today, Fubo announced that monthly prices for some of its “Live TV” subscription plans, which include hundreds of channels, including non-sports ones like FX and The Disney Channel, will be up to 14.8 percent cheaper. The new pricing starts with “bill cycle dates on or after January 1, 2026,” Fubo said.
Here are the new prices:
- Essential: $74 per month (previously $85/month)
- Pro: $75/month (previously $85/month)
- Elite: $84/month (previously $95/month)
When streaming services make announcements about price, it almost always means higher costs for subscribers.
However, some subscribers likely feel that the price cut is a necessity and not a perk, since Fubo has not had NBCUniversal channels since November 21. The blacked-out channels include local NBC affiliates, Telemundo, nine regional sports channels (Fubo noted that subscribers may also pay lesser fees after the January billing cycles if any regional sports networks they previously received are no longer available on Fubo), and 32 channels, including Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC, and USA Network. Fubo previously announced that it would give subscribers a $15 credit due to the blackout.
A Fubo spokesperson told Ars Technica that the new prices “reflect NBCU pulling their networks from Fubo.”
Fubo’s representative said they couldn’t comment on whether the new prices would stick if Fubo gets NBCUniversal channels back because that’s “speculative.”
Fubo’s NBCUniversal blackout
In a statement on November 25, Fubo claimed that NBCUniversal is trying to overcharge Fubo for the channels that will live under Versant, a company to be created from the spinoff of NBCUniversal’s cable channels and other digital properties, which is supposed to debut in January.
“Despite them not being worth the cost to Fubo subscribers, Fubo offered to distribute Versant channels for one year,” Fubo said. “NBCU wants Fubo to sign a multi-year deal—well past the time the Versant channels will be owned by a separate company. NBCU wants Fubo subscribers to subsidize these channels.”
Fubo also accused NBCUniversal of using the maligned bundling tactics of the cable era to force it to “add expensive, non-sports channels, which will drive up the price paid by Fubo subscribers” to its cheaper Fubo Sports plans (currently $56/month).
Fubo also wants NBCUniversal to allow it to integrate NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service into its channel store. The vMVPD noted that NBCUniversal has allowed this for YouTube TV and Amazon Prime Video. Those are much bigger streaming services than Fubo, though; Fubo has 1.63 million subscribers. In 2024, YouTube TV claimed 8 million subscribers, and analysts have estimated that number has since reached 9.4 million. In November, Amazon said Prime Video’s ad tier had 315 million monthly viewers.
NBCUniversal told The New York Times last month that it offered Fubo “the same terms agreed to by hundreds of other distributors.”
“Unfortunately, this is par for the course for Fubo—they’ve dropped numerous networks in recent years at the expense of their customers, who continue to lose content,” NBCUniversal’s statement said.
Fubo’s lower prices could be a tactic to pressure NBCUniversal into agreeing to a deal rather than letting the partnership dissolve.
Alternatively, the price reduction could be a sign that Fubo doesn’t expect to restore NBCUniversal channels. It may not want them back either.
Fubo has previously alleged that Fox and Disney forced it to pay for dozens of unwanted channels by tying them to sports content.
vMVPDs were originally sold as a way to access slimmer bundles of cable channels so that you could spend less for a more focused content selection. But in general, packages have become loaded with more networks, pushing up subscription costs. Fubo customers have been complaining about prices increases, especially in comparison to other streaming services. Fubo’s value proposition took a major hit in January when a price hike made its base plan more expensive than YouTube TV’s.
“The reduced pricing reflects Fubo’s commitment to delivering a competitively priced premium live TV streaming experience,” Fubo’s announcement today said.
Fubo may have fewer channels for now, but if that means that it can offer lower prices, it may be more appealing to people, and Fubo might then stand a better chance at competing with the many larger streaming services.
