NEW YORK—Live sports TV streaming platform Fubo has launched standalone premium subscription services, the company said today.

The premium services allow consumers to subscribe and select live and on-demand content without a base Fubo channel plan, the virtual pay TV provider said.

The initial lineup available as standalone subscriptions includes: FanDuel Sports Network (formerly Bally Sports Network), which is currently live on Fubo in select markets with more to follow; NBA League Pass; and Paramount+ with Showtime.

All three services continue to be available in Fubo’s Pro base plan, as in the case of FanDuel Sports Network, or as add-on channel packages, as with NBA League Pass and Paramount+ with Showtime. Subscribers to these standalone packages also will receive Fubo Free, nearly 200 free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels, it said.

The launch reflects Fubo’s larger super-aggregation strategy that aims to offer flexible content bundles, from skinny to fat, at different price points within its streaming ecosystem, it said.

Fubo said it will now offer three different channel-plan tiers:

• Fubo Free, a tier of free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels available to former Fubo paid and free-trial subscribers as well as those who subscribe to premium services;
• Premium subscription services, including live linear and SVOD content, which can be purchased on a standalone basis and do not require consumers to buy the main Fubo platform;
• Fubo’s virtual MVPD offering, an aggregation of live sports, news and entertainment as well as VOD content.

Fubo subscribers to live linear subscription services will also receive unlimited cloud DVR and the ability to stream from multiple screens simultaneously, it said.

“Consumers want flexible streaming options that lets them subscribe to only the content they want to watch,” Fubo co-founder and CEO David Gandler said. “Our vision to be a super-aggregator aims to give consumers a seamless way to access all of the content they love within the Fubo ecosystem and at appropriate price points. With the addition of standalone live and SVOD premium subscriptions, we believe offering multiple bundles, from skinny to fat, will put choice in the hands of our customers. This is what streaming should be.”

More information is available on the company’s website.

NEW YORK & CARLSBAD, Calif.—Airline passengers will now have in-flight access to NBA games thanks to a multi-year deal between the NBA and Viasat for NBA League Pass.

The deal enables passengers to access the NBA League Pass subscription streaming service so they can watch live and on-demand NBA games and content on their personal electronic devices at no extra cost when they register for NBA League Pass in-flight.

However, this deal is not currently available to flights within the U.S., Canada and China; though international flights to and from these countries will be able to use the streaming service. It will be available on all other routes.

JetBlue is set to be the first airline to offer NBA League Pass through Viasat, with more expected to be added in the future.

“We’re focused on evolving the way passengers enjoy in-flight internet by offering differentiated, premium over-the-top content and streaming experiences,” said Viasat Managing Director, Media & Mobile Applications, Dave Elliot. “We continue to explore and announce new partnerships, like the NBA. The trend to market content—and in this case, league assets—directly to customers is powerful, and offers more opportunity to drive customer acquisition through new business models that haven’t been previously offered through packaged, linear TV viewing.”

The service is launching in time for the 2021 NBA Playoffs, which tipoff on May 22.

NEW YORK—NBA fans will be able to enjoy the game action coming from the league’s restart in its Orlando, Fla., bubble through a couple of new ways, including the addition of a betting-focused telecast of select games.

These betting-focused game presentations, which began airing on Aug. 3, will be available to subscribers of NBA League Pass and NBA TV. The content will include analysis from experts at Bleacher Report, The Action Network, Yahoo Sports and others, while overlays provide betting odds.

BetMGM is serving as the presenting partner of NBABet Stream and is tasked with keeping fans up to date with real-time betting lines and statistics.

The games that will be available on NBA TV DTC will include the New Orleans Pelicans vs. the Sacramento Kings (Aug. 6), the Philadelphia 76ers vs. the Portland Trailblazers (Aug. 9), the Dallas Mavericks vs. the Utah Jazz (Aug. 10) and the Indiana Pacers vs. the Houston Rockets (Aug. 12).

Games on NBA League Pass include the Orlando Magic vs. the Pacers (Aug. 4), the Denver Nuggets vs. the San Antonio Spurs (Aug. 5), the Washington Wizards vs. the Pelicans (Aug. 7) and the Phoenix Suns vs. the 76ers (Aug. 11).

The NBA also recently announced a multi-year deal with Yahoo Sports with the goal of improving the at-home experience for fans. Among the things that Yahoo Sports will do is create fantasy and sports betting content, as well as expanding its existing distribution of NBA League Pass. Also, RYOT has been tapped as the live virtual reality partner during the NBA’s games in Orlando.

For more information, visit www.nba.com.  

NEW YORK—Verizon and NBA want to be a dynamic duo on the court, as the two have announced a multi-year partnership that will seek to deliver NBA content to fans via Verizon’s media brands, including Yahoo.

The new deal provides Verizon users to purchase NBA League Pass in the U.S. for video streaming of live out-of-market games on Yahoo Sports and other Verizon media platforms; registered users will also have be able try an eight-game preview of the League Pass subscription offering with Verizon’s “It’s On Us” program. Additional offerings on Yahoo Sports and other Verizon media platforms include a daily show highlighting NBA action, storylines and commentary, as well as original sports and lifestyle programming.

Innovation will also be part of this new partnership, with the development of augmented reality and other new forms of content. An update of fantasy experiences is also planned.

These new offerings will become available beginning with the NBA All-Star 2018 weekend in Los Angeles.