NEW YORK—Fubo and NBCUniversal have struck a distribution agreement, ending a longstanding carriage dispute dating back to last November.

“We’re thrilled to announce the return of NBCUniversal networks to Fubo, given their robust portfolio of top-tier sports, entertainment and news,” said Todd Mathers, executive vice president, content strategy and acquisition, Fubo. “Our agreement with NBCUniversal underscores Fubo’s promise to bring consumers more programming, value and choice through multiple packaging options.”

Starting June 10, Fubo’s virtual MVPD customers can stream NBCU’s Spanish-language networks, Telemundo and Universo, as well as its English-language networks, including the new NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), regional sports networks (RSNs) and new FAST channels to launch in the coming weeks.

Customers will be able to access NBCUniversal programming through multiple Fubo plan options, including:

• NBC, through Fubo’s base English-language TV plan and the Fubo Sports content service;
• Telemundo, through Fubo’s base English-language TV plan and Latino plan;
• Bravo, through Fubo’s base English-language TV plan;
• Universo through Fubo’s Latino Plan, Spanish-language Latino Plus add-on package and English-language Extra package;
• NBC Sports RSNs (Bay Area, Boston, California, Philadelphia), through Fubo’s base English-language TV plan; and
• NBCSN, through Fubo’s base English-language TV plan and the Fubo Sports content service.

After some bruising carriage battles that have given it more programming flexibility, YouTube TV is moving forward with its previously announced strategy of offering customers more control over their subscriptions with the rollout of more than 10 different plans across sports, news, entertainment and family genres that are priced lower than the main YouTube TV Plan.

YouTube TV announced that three of those genre plans are already available, including a $64.99 a month Sports Plan.

The vMVPD described the three new plans as follows:

• Sports Plan ($64.99/month, or $54.99/month for new users*): At $18 lower than the YouTube TV main plan, the Sports Plan gives fans access to all the major broadcasters as well as sports networks like FS1, NBC Sports Network, all of the ESPN networks, and ESPN Unlimited (coming this fall).
• Sports + News Plan ($71.99/month, or $56.99/month for new users): Priced $11 lower than the main YouTube TV plan, get everything in the Sports Plan plus your national news, with networks such as CNBC, Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, in addition to CSPAN, Bloomberg, and Fox Business.
• Entertainment Plan ($54.99/month, or $44.99/month for new users): For the cinephiles and comedy buffs, the Entertainment Plan includes all your major broadcasters and content, ranging from FX dramas to Hallmark classics, with channels such as Comedy Central, Bravo, Paramount, Food Network, HGTV, and many more, all for $28 lower than the main plan.
• News + Entertainment + Family Plan ($69.99/month, or $59.99/month for new users): For $13 lower than the main plan, bundle your news and entertainment with content for families, such as Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, National Geographic, Cartoon Network, PBS Kids, and more.
• The main YouTube TV plan ($82.99/month w/100+ networks across genres) will remain our most comprehensive offering.

Subscribers who sign up for one of the plans will still have access to the product features offered on YouTube TV, including unlimited DVR, the ability to add up to 6 members on one account, key plays, multiview, and more, the vMVPD said.

Add-ons such as NFL Sunday Ticket, NFL RedZone with Sports Plus, HBO Max, and 4K Plus can also be purchased.

More details are available here.

After eight years of declines, MoffettNathanson's new "Cord Cutting Monitor" for Q3 2025 shows that pay TV subscribers to linear TV packages rose by 303,000, the first reported rise in multichannel video programming distributor and virtual MVPD sub counts since 2017.

The last time subscriber counts rose was in Q4 2017, when they increased by 318,000, per data from MoffettNathanson. The slight increase in Q3 is a notable turnaround from the 2,455,000 pay TV sub losses in Q1 2025 and 1,054,000 in Q2 2025.

The analysts stressed that the increase was likely seasonal, as subscriber counts traditionally improve at the start of the football season.

Traditional pay TV operators like Comcast and Charter Communications continued to show declines, and the increases came from vMVPDs like YouTube TV. But MoffettNathanson offered more encouraging news for the pay TV sector with data showing that the rate of decline continued to slow.

“The rate of decline for traditional distributors improved for the fifth straight quarter,” the report stated. “While the rate of decline is still scary-high, it is unmistakably moderating. At Comcast, the trend has been improving for eight straight quarters; there, the rate of decline was the ‘slowest’—although no one would actually call it ‘slow’—since 2022. Even DirecTV and EchoStar have shown at least a little improvement. By far the biggest improvement, however—not just for traditional distribution but for the whole video industry—has come at Charter.”

The report also noted that “the vMVPDs are still growing” but “also more slowly.” The vMVPD category “is growing at a 4.6% annual rate. That’s unchanged versus each of the two prior quarters…even though it remains the slowest growth rate since the category was created,” the report said.

WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission has opened a wide-ranging inquiry into the relations between broadcast networks and their affiliates that could make it easier for affiliates to preempt network programming, redefine how negotiations with vMVPDs like YouTube TV are handled and even air programming from other networks.

Carr announced that the regulator had issued a Public Notice seeking comments on market dynamics of national programmers/affiliates in a post on X.

“The FCC has an obligation to ensure that local broadcast TV stations meet their public interest obligations,” Carr wrote. “Yet National Programmers operating out of New York & Hollywood are reportedly preventing those broadcasters from serving their local communities—including by punishing them for exercising their right to preempt national programming. The FCC has now started a proceeding to examine ways we can empower local broadcasters to meet their public interest obligations by reviewing the network / affiliate relationship for the first time in more than 15 years.”

In his tenure as FCC Chair. Carr has repeatedly argued that he would like to change the balance of power between broadcast networks, who he regularly attacks for “bias”, and local broadcasters, who provide much needed local news and information.

The new Public Notice, reflects that view in its title: “Empowering Local Broadcast TV Stations to Meet Their Public Interest Obligations: Exploring Market Dynamics Between National Programmers and Their Affiliates.”

It also stresses the public interest standards that broadcasters are required to uphold and that Carr has used to launch investigations into ABC, CBS and NBC affiliates for “news bias.”

“Television broadcasters are required by both the Communications Act and the terms of their FCC-issued licenses to operate in the public interest,” the Notice said. “Television broadcasters have this public interest obligation because the government has given them the privilege of using a scarce national resource—the public airwaves—and in doing so has necessarily excluded others that might want to broadcast their own programming over that spectrum. This public interest obligation distinguishes television broadcasters from other types of program distributors, including cable companies, streaming services, podcasts, and more, that were never given free access to the public airwaves or a federal license to broadcast on that spectrum.”

The Public Notice also laid out a number of arguments rebutting free-speech rights of broadcasters. “[C]ourts have long held that the First Amendment does not relieve a licensee of its public interest obligation, nor does it absolve the Commission of its statutory duty to ensure those licensees meet public interest requirements,” the Notice explained.

“By this Public Notice, the Media Bureau continues its efforts to empower local television broadcasters to meet their public interest obligations,” the Public Notice explained.

As part of that effort, the Notice argued that “an imbalance has developed in this relationship” between affiliates and networks with the rise of “horizontally and vertically integrated companies that now own national programming networks.”

“This imbalance...frustrates local broadcasters in their efforts to fulfill their public interest obligations,” the FCC argued. “Although the FCC does not directly regulate the national programmers as such, the Supreme Court has held that the relationship between networks and affiliates is well within the Commission’s regulatory jurisdiction.”

More specifically the FCC is seeking comment on changes in the network/affiliate relationship, in terms of the bargaining power of networks versus affiliates.

In a lengthy discussion of the inbalance of power between networks and affiliates, the FCC noted that "In the early 1940s, radio broadcasting in the United States was almost exclusively provided by four national AM radio networks, similar to today’s television broadcast market...In the Chain Broadcasting Report, the Commission found that certain regulations were necessary to address unfair practices in negotiations between the radio networks and local affiliate stations."

To address these unfair practices in the 1940s, "the report stated that affiliates should be allowed to broadcast programs of other networks as well as to schedule their own programs. Should the Commission consider adopting regulations similar to these in light of the changes in the broadcast market that have led to anticompetitive leverage and behavior by large networks?"

It also raised a number of questions about the ability of stations to preempt network programming without financial penalties.

“Consistent with the FCC’s right to reject rule, we seek comment in particular regarding the preemption of national programming by local broadcast TV stations,” the Notice stated. “As indicated in that rule, the FCC has determined that affiliation agreements should not include provisions that limit right-to-reject preemptions for “greater local or national importance” to breaking news events or any other specific type of programming; prevent affiliates from rejecting a program as “unsatisfactory or unsuitable or contrary to the public interest” because they have carried a similar network program in the past; or impose monetary or nonmonetary penalties on affiliates based on preemptions protected by the right-to-reject rule.”

It also raised the issue of whether networks should continue to negotiate retransmission agreements with vMVPDs like YouTube, something that station groups would like to change.

The Public Notice also dived into a number of issues about how the FCC might address problems in the affiliate relationship. “If the FCC subsequently determines that certain contract provisions and related network practices should be prohibited by rule, we seek comment on how to address offending affiliate agreements in order to restore full control of the license to the affiliate,” the Notice stated. “Parties to affiliation agreements that violate existing rules are already subject to enforcement action. Particularly egregious behavior could result in an order to file an early license renewal application, a short-term renewal period, or designation for hearing.”

The FCC said that comments on due on December 10, 2025; reply comments are due on December 24, 2025

The full Public Notice is available here.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—Sling TV has launched a new offering called Select that provides a package of cable channels for $19.99 a month.

The mix of channels includes Fox News, National Geographic, GRIT, NFL Network, FX, FS1, METV, Game Show Network, Heroes & Icons, Lifetime Movie Network and Vice. It also features specific 4K content across Fox and FS1.

In select markets, subscribers will also receive local broadcast channels ABC, NBC and Fox. A nominal surcharge applies based on local channel availability: $5 per month for markets with one or two local channels, and $10 per month for markets with all three.

"Sling Select is perfect for customers who want a streamlined, cost-effective way to enjoy the channels they love," said Seth Van Sickel, senior vice president, product and operations, Sling TV. "With the freedom to choose what you watch and how much you pay, Sling continues to lead the way in TV that works for real people."

In addition to the launch of Select, Sling TV continues to offer Sling Extras, curated add-on channel packages that let viewers tailor their channel lineups by interests and genres.

Sling described the Select Extra packages as follows:

• Sports Extra – for the ultimate sports fan (includes NFL Red Zone, Big Ten Network, FS2 and more).
• News Extra – for expanded global and national news coverage (includes Newsmax, NewsNation, Fox Business and more).
• Entertainment Extra – featuring popular entertainment networks (includes Paramount Network, CMT and more).
• Hollywood Extra – offering blockbuster movies and Hollywood favorites (includes FXX, FXM and more).
• Lifestyle Extra – covering home, food and travel content (includes Hallmark Channel, UPtv and more).
• Heartland Extra – with westerns, outdoor adventures and classic Americana (includes INSP, Great American Family and more).
• Kids Extra – packed with family-friendly programming (includes NickToons, TeenNick and more).
• Latino Extra – providing top channels in Spanish (includes Nat Geo Mundo, beIN Sports, History en Espanol and more).

For more information about Sling TV and Sling Select, visit Sling.com.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—Sling TV said it is launching short-term subscription options for users that include a new $4.99 Day Pass, a $9.99 Weekend Pass and a $14.99 Week Pass.

The Day Pass, Weekend Pass and Week Pass include live and on-demand access to popular networks on Sling Orange such as ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, TNT, A&E, TBS, Disney Channel, Comedy Central, History Channel, CNN and more.

The passes are targeted to sports fans but do not include broadcast stations that carry many popular sporting events.

The launches highlight the flexibility that streaming vMVPDs like Sling and YouTube TV have in easily turning subscriptions on or off, compared to some traditional pay TV operators that require equipment to be installed.

“This launch is about putting control back in the hands of the fans, whether it’s tuning in for college football, professional sports, award shows or a spontaneous movie night, all without having to sign a long-term, binding contract,” said Seth Van Sickel, senior vice president, product and operations, Sling TV. “With college football just around the corner, our new Day Pass offering is all consumers need to win on game day, for just $4.99.”

Sling described the passes as follows:

• Day Pass ($4.99): Instant 24-hour access. Perfect for a big game, an awards show or an impromptu movie night.
• Weekend Pass ($9.99): Access from Friday to Sunday. Ideal for a weekend of games, a movie marathon or catching up on a show.
• Week Pass ($14.99): Seven-day access. Great for a week-long tournament, watching a new series or keeping the family entertained on break.

Along with the launch of Day Pass, subscribers can also add Sling Extras, add-on channel packages. These add-ons offer a way to customize channel lineups by category. Current Sling Extra packages include Sports Extra, News Extra, Entertainment Extra, Hollywood Extra, Lifestyle Extra, Heartland Extra and Kids Extra. Users can add Sling Extras to their passes for $1 for Day Pass, $2 for Weekend Pass and $3 for Week Pass.

NEW YORK & CHICAGO—FuboTV Inc. and Weigel Broadcasting Co. have announced a multi-year agreement for distribution of seven networks including MeTV, H&I, Movies!, and WCIU, The U, the home of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky.

Subscribers of Fubo’s Pro and Elite channel plans can now stream Weigel’s national entertainment networks while customers in the Chicago DMA also have access to WCIU-TV’s local sports, news and entertainment programming. WCIU, The U’s sports coverage includes more than 30 games from the WNBA’s Chicago Sky during the 2025 season.

“In partnership with Weigel Broadcasting, we are thrilled to bring Fubo subscribers even more entertainment programming, including some of the most-loved TV shows and movies of all time,” said Todd Mathers, executive vice president, content strategy and acquisition, Fubo. “Our subscribers in Chicago can also follow the Sky’s pursuit of a second WNBA championship this season, as well as local news and entertainment content, with the addition of WCIU, The U to their channel lineup.”

“Weigel is excited to add our entertainment networks and Chicago’s WCIU, The U to the Fubo platform,” said Jim Hall, vice president, business development, Weigel Broadcasting Co. “Giving viewers access to our programming, alongside the popular sports and general entertainment content that Fubo is well known for, is a win-win for their subscribers, our viewers and both our companies.”

Weigel described the networks launching on Fubo as follows:

• MeTV: MeTV, America’s No.1 classic TV entertainment network, presents over 60 different programs every week.
• H&I: Heroes & Icons presents a wide variety of heroic characters showcased in iconic TV series, heroes who are aspirational, inspirational, or just plain fun.
• MeTV+: MeTV+ is the companion network to MeTV, America’s #1 classic television network.
• MeTV Toons: MeTV Toons is dedicated exclusively to the very best of classic animation, from Hollywood-era shorts to made-for-television favorites.
• Catchy Comedy: Catchy Comedy is America’s front row to fun, showcasing some of TV's greatest comedy series, headlined by the funny women and men who became audience favorites, household names and TV legends.
• Movies!: The Movies! TV Network is America’s classic movie destination.
• Story Television: Story Television is a broadcast TV network focused exclusively on history and world events, presenting real people, historic moments and riveting stories that span from across the ages to the present day.
• WCIU, The U Chicago: WCIU, The U is Chicago’s go-to local independent entertainment station, with well-known sitcoms, court programming, dramas and talk. WCIU, The U is also the broadcast home of the WNBA Chicago Sky, Illinois High School Association Championship Football and Basketball, and Game of the Week featuring girls and boys high school sports.

A major new survey of consumer video subscriptions offers the TV industry some mixed messages, with data showing ongoing drastic declines in pay TV subscriptions and antenna usage coupled with notable increases in streaming.

The “State of Media, Entertainment, and Tech: Subscriptions 2025” report, from Horowitz Research, found that homes who could access to live TV channels via an antenna declined from 32% in 2020 to 19% in 2025. Even more precipitous declines were recorded for traditional pay TV providers, with the number of homes with MVPD subscriptions falling from 81% in 2020 to 44% in 2025.

Meanwhile, the new Horowitz data showed the share of homes with SVOD subscriptions rose from 70% in 2020 to 81% in 2025, and households with free streaming services jumped from 52% to 70% in the same period.

Virtual multichannel video programming distributors (vMVPDs), like Sling TV and YouTube TV, declined from being in 29% of homes in 2020 to 23% in 2025.

Over the last decade, that has dramatically changed both the mix of video services and the way those services are accessed. In 2015 nearly half of all homes (47%) only had a MVPD subscription and only 7% of all homes were streaming only. In 2025 nearly half of all homes (49%) were streaming only, while only 11% only had a pay TV subscription. About one third (33%) had both MVPD and streaming subscriptions in 2025, down from 40% in 2015. The homes with no video subscriptions stayed virtually flat, rising from 6% in 2015 to 7% in 2025.

In terms of homes with TV antennas, the Horowitz study found that they skewed towards lower income homes and older households. Antenna were used in 26% of homes headed by someone 50 or older compared to 19% for the overall population in 2025. Only 9% of homes with incomes of greater than $100,000 a year had antenna while 26% of those with incomes below $50,000 had antenna. About 28% of all homes without MVPD subscriptions had antennas but only 10% of homes headed by someone 18 to 34 had access to live TV channels via an antenna.

The report also provides detailed information on how much consumers are spending on subscriptions, the most popular streaming services, subscription bunding, broadband subscriptions, opportunities in the area of smart homes and a wide variety of other subjects.

The report is based on a survey of 2,200 consumers 18+ who are decision makers about subscription services in their home. Data have been weighted to ensure results are representative of the overall U.S. population. The survey was conducted in January and February of 2025.

More information is available here.

NEW YORK—FuboTV Inc. has announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2024 that include record total revenue and paid subscribers.

The vMVPD, which is in the process of being acquired by Disney, also achieved its first quarter of positive free cash flow.

“Fubo continued to deliver on our promise to shareholders in 2024, achieving record total revenue and paid subscribers in North America, as well as significant improvements in Adjusted EBITDA and Free Cash Flow,” said David Gandler, co-founder and CEO, Fubo. “Notable achievements in 2024 included the launch of standalone sports and entertainment skinny bundles as part of our mission to be a Super Aggregator, and expanded availability of our market-first user-configurated Multiview product to Roku devices. We also introduced innovative and interactive connected TV ad formats for brand marketers.

Gandler also noted that they recently announced a business combination agreement with The Walt Disney Company’s Hulu + Live TV and that they plan “to launch a new Sports & Broadcasting service, both of which we expect to further scale our business, deliver additional compelling sports content to consumers and bring more competition to the industry.”

Fubo delivered full year 2024 results in North America of $1.588 billion in total revenue, up 19% year-over-year (YoY), and 1.676 million subscribers, up 4% YoY, both record-breaking metrics for the Company. Fubo closed the fourth quarter with $433.8 million in total revenue, up 8% YoY, in North America, achieving its guidance. Average revenue per user (ARPU) in the fourth quarter was $87.90 in the region, an all-time high for the Company and an expansion of 1.4% YoY.

In the Rest of World (ROW), the Company delivered $9.4 million total revenue, up 12.1% YoY, and 362,000 paid subscribers, down 10.9% YoY. ARPU reached $8.50, up 24.8% YoY. ROW includes the results of Molotov, the French live TV streaming service acquired by Fubo in December 2021.

On a full-year basis, Fubo achieved YoY improvements in net loss of $115 million, Adjusted EBITDA of $115 million, Net cash provided by operating activities of $97 million and free cash flow of $104 million. AEBITDA and free cash flow each improved by over $100 million in 2024. This marked the second consecutive year of over $100 million annual improvements in AEBITDA and Free Cash Flow.

Looking ahead, Fubo reported that it is projecting $400 million to $410 million total revenue, representing 3% YoY growth at the midpoint. But it is also projecting 1.430 million to 1.460 million total subscribers, representing a 4% YoY decline at the midpoint. This outlook reflects the potential subscriber impact of the carriage disput with TelevisaUnivision.

Google has announced another rate increase for its YouTube TV service, effective Jan. 13, 2025. In its sixth such hike, the service will now cost subscribers $82.99, a $10 increase since the last jump in 2023.

The service, which launched in 2017 for $35 per month, is now the most expensive virtual MVPD in the U.S., surpassing Hulu Live+, which goes for $75.99 per month; DirecTV, whose streaming platform starts at $74.99 per month; and Sling TV, at $40 monthly.

YouTube TV’s monthly subscription is now 137% higher than its initial monthly rate. It cited higher content costs and investments as reasons for the increase.

“To keep up with the rising cost of content and the investments we make in the quality of our service, we’re updating our monthly price from $72.99/month to $82.99/month starting January 13, 2025,” the company told subscribers in an email today. “We don’t make these decisions lightly, and we realize this has an impact on our members. We are committed to bringing you features that are changing the way we watch live TV, like unlimited DVR storage and multiview, and supporting YouTube TV’s breadth of content and vast on-demand library of movies and shows.”

‌“We hope YouTube TV continues to be your service of choice, but we understand that some of our members may want to cancel their subscriptions,“ the email continued. “As always, family managers have the ability to pause or cancel anytime.”

TROY, Mich.—The highly anticipated annual J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Television Service Provider Satisfaction Study indicates that once again vMVPDs, which J.D. Power calls “Live TV streamers,” had a much higher satisfaction rate than traditional cable and satellite services. 

The newly redesigned survey found that live TV streamers is 625 (on a 1,000-point scale) compared with 524 among cable and satellite customers.

The biggest gap in satisfaction between live TV streaming and cable and satellite—140 points—is heavily based on costs, the researchers said. The survey found that the reported monthly average cost for live TV streaming is $75, while cable and satellite is $120.

YouTube TV ranked highest in the live TV streaming segment for a second consecutive year, with a score of 651. Hulu + Live TV (635) ranked second.

Spectrum ranked highest in the cable/satellite TV–national segment with a score of 530. Xfinity (529) ranked second.

“It is clear that price has been a main driver in satisfaction, however, satisfaction for streaming is higher than cable and satellite customers across all seven dimensions of the study,” said Carl Lepper, senior director of technology, media and telecom intelligence at J.D. Power. “Live streaming has reorganized the industry and as it continues, cable and satellite providers have been working hard to remain competitive, including exploring new revenue models to compete with the cost pressure.”

In terms of different regions, Verizon Fios ranked highest in the cable/satellite TV–east region for a third consecutive year, with a score of 570. DirecTV (520) ranked second.

Xfinity ranked highest in the cable/satellite TV–north central region with a score of 528. Spectrum (516) ranked second.

Xfinity ranked highest in the cable/satellite TV–south region with a score of 570. Cox Communications (547) ranked second and Spectrum (545) ranked third.

Spectrum ranked highest in the cable/satellite TV–west region with a score of 534. Xfinity (517) ranked second and Dish (516) ranked third.

The J.D. Power U.S. Television Service Provider Satisfaction StudySM is designed to provide a detailed assessment of customer perceptions of service with their current television provider. The study measures Overall Satisfaction with television service providers based on seven dimensions: value for price paid; consistently delivering high-quality service; level of trust with provider; ease of doing business; people; digital tools; and resolving problems or complaints. To be included in the national cable/satellite TV ranking, brands must be ranked in all four geographic regions. The study is based on responses from 32,349 customers and was fielded from October 2023 through August 2024.

For more information about the U.S. Television Service Provider Satisfaction Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/tmt/us-residential-television-customer-satisfaction-study. 

Comcast and the vMVPD Fubo have announced that Xfinity Internet customers with a Flex or Xumo Stream Box have another option for a live TV service with the launch of Fubo, a sports-first live streaming service that brings together more than 400 sports, news and entertainment networks.

The app is also available on Xumo TVs, currently sold across the U.S.

"Live sports is best enjoyed on the big screen - in fact, 95% of Fubo viewers are watching their favorite content on connected and smart televisions," said Isaac Josephson, senior vice president of product management, Fubo. "We're thrilled to add Comcast's Xfinity Flex, Xumo TV and Xumo Stream Box streaming platforms to Fubo's suite of TV devices. A big shout out to the many teams across Fubo and Comcast for their hard work in bringing our premium user experience to Comcast streaming customers."

“For many consumers, one of the first things they look for in a streaming service is whether it provides access to their favorite sports,” said John Dixon, senior vice president, entertainment, Comcast. “With a huge collection of sports-focused channels ranging from local broadcast to national networks covering the biggest and smallest of sports, Fubo is a great addition to the growing catalog of streaming options available on our platforms.”

Fubo joins a growing list of both subscription-based and ad-supported live streaming services now available on Flex, Xumo Stream Box and Xumo TV, including Xfinity Stream, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, Xumo Play, Tubi, Pluto, and more.

Xfinity Internet customers looking to learn more about Xumo Stream Box, which is available at no additional cost with their broadband service, can visit https://www.xfinity.com/learn/xumostreambox. More information on Xumo TV can be found here: https://www.xumo.com/products/xumo-tv.

 NEW YORK—FuboTV reported that it lost 110,000 subs in Q1 2024 but it exceeded its guidance for the quarter with double digit year-over-year increases across key performance metrics in North America, including 21% ad revenue growth. 

Despite the Q1 sub losses, it ended the quarter with 1.511 million subs in North America, up 18% from a year earlier in Q1 2023. North American sub totals also exceeded its guidance for the quarter.  

“Fubo’s first quarter 2024 performance builds upon the strong momentum achieved in the prior year, with double digit paid subscribers, total revenue and ad revenue growth in North America,” said David Gandler, co-founder and CEO, Fubo. “Our results further underscore continued solid execution on our long-term strategy. We continue to operate efficiently and effectively as we execute on our mission to delight consumers with an aggregated sports entertainment offering delivered through a personalized and intuitive streaming experience.”

Edgar Bronfman Jr., executive chairman, Fubo added that “over the past seven quarters, Fubo has consistently met or exceeded guidance and expanded ARPU in a challenging macro environment, all the while delivering a world-class viewing experience for consumers. We remain confident in our ability to build on this success while aggressively working to establish a more fair and equitable playing field for Fubo, other media industry participants and above all, consumers.”

In the Q1 report Fubo said that it again exceeded expectations in North America, closing the first quarter with double digit year-over-year (YoY) growth, delivering $394 million in total revenue, up 24% YoY. The Company also continued to improve  YoY ad revenue growth, which increased 21% in the first quarter compared to prior year. Additionally, Fubo delivered $84.54 average revenue per user (ARPU), up 10% YoY.

In the Rest of World (ROW), the Company delivered 397,000 paid subscribers, up 5% YoY, and $8.4 million total revenue, up 7% YoY, during the quarter. ARPU reached $7, up 7% YoY. ROW includes the results of Molotov, the French live TV streaming service acquired by Fubo in December 2021.

Financially, Fubo achieved 7% gross margin (globally), representing a YoY improvement of 588 basis points (bps). Its net loss from continuing operations in the first quarter was $56.3 million, leading to an earnings per share (EPS) loss of $0.19, which was an improvement in its net loss from continuing operations of $83.4 million, or an EPS loss of $0.37 in the first quarter of 2023. Adjusted EPS in the first quarter improved to a loss of $0.11, compared to an adjusted EPS loss of $0.27 in the first quarter of 2023.

Looking forward, the company said that in Q2 2024 it is projecting 1,275,000 to 1,295,000 subscribers in North America, representing 10% YoY growth at the midpoint, and $357.5 to $367.5 million total revenue, representing 19% YoY growth at the midpoint.

For all of 2024, Fubo is projecting 1,675,000 to 1,695,000 subscribers in North America representing 4% YoY growth at the midpoint, and $1.525 to $1.545 billion total revenue, representing 15% YoY growth at the midpoint.

But it stressed that the guidance does not reflect the impact that the new sports streaming joint venture backed by Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery might have on its business. 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Preserve Viewer Choice Coalition has announced that two new members have joined its ranks: Hulu and YouTube TV.

The coalition is opposing efforts by broadcasters to get the FCC to change rules on how vMVPDs are classified by arguing that the proposed changes would restrict consumer streaming choices and hurt the online video market.

"Having Hulu and YouTube TV on board amplifies our message and reinforces our commitment to ensuring that consumers continue to enjoy a wealth of choices in the streaming era," said Bryce Harlow, spokesperson for the Preserve Viewer Choice Coalition. "Their decision to join us is a testament to the momentum we're building and the shared belief in the importance of a competitive streaming market devoid of burdensome regulations."

The Preserve Viewer Choice Coalition was formed in response to calls to revisit proposed FCC rule changes regarding vMVPDs. Broadcast station groups would like to see the FCC reclassify vMVPDs as traditional cable and pay TV operators, which would change the way retransmission consent fees are negotiated. Currently the companies who own the broadcast network negotiate those fees with vMVPDs, not the station owners, who directly handle negotiations with traditional cable operators. Broadcast station groups have launched The Coalition for Local News Advocacy to lobby for changes in the rule. 

Station groups argue this change would allow them to negotiate higher fees while the Preserve Viewer Choice Coalition argues that this could force online video providers and streaming platforms to negotiate for content they don't own, potentially hindering innovation and driving up costs for consumers. 

The coalition also argues that changing the rules would significantly impact the online video market, which has provided consumers with unprecedented access to diverse content, from news and entertainment to sports. 

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—Sling TV has announced a number of new viewing features that include live sports scores, Apple purchase capability, user profiles and in app “one click” content purchases.

The improvements are designed to give users more power and control over what they watch, allowing for a more personalized and unique experience that is individualized for everyone, the virtual MVPD said. 

“Our top priority at Sling is to provide our customers with the best television experience possible. We want to put people in charge of their entertainment,” said Gary Schanman, executive vice president and group president, Dish Video Services. “That means, we look for ways to deliver new innovative functions that elevate the viewing experience and give customers more personalized features and menus allowing them to control what they watch, and how they watch and interact with the information available to them on our service.”

The new features include:

• Live Sports Scores: Viewers can still access real-time scores to help them find the most exciting games to watch, but now they can do it across all the major leagues Sling carries, including NCAA Football and Basketball, NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB. Sling has added team records, seeding and ranking, game clock, live scores and the network the game is on. If the user is a subscriber they can immediately click into the game, other users will be sent to a page to add the content. The Sports Scores feature is built right into the home screen and can be accessed right next to the video player, so viewers can quickly find the game or the scores they need. 
• Apple Purchase Capability: Now Sling users can use their Apple ID to buy Sling, manage purchases, subscriptions and add-ons within the app utilizing Apple Pay. Sling and Apple users can pay quickly in 44 currencies using payment methods associated with their Apple ID, access their purchased content on all devices the app supports and restore purchases on new devices. It also allows customers to quickly view payment history and manage all their Sling TV subscriptions or add-ons in one place. 
• In App “One Click” Content Purchase: Free and current Sling paid subscribers can now immediately subscribe to recommended content they find through search, home page and even on partner platforms. This feature adds convenience and awareness to our users to find and enjoy all of our great content.
• User Profiles On All Devices: Enables users to create personalized profiles that have all their favorite shows, movies and DVR recordings. The feature allows for up to four additional user profiles that can be labeled and color-coded to easily differentiate among multiple users. Other features include more relevant personalized content on the Home Screen of each profile, the ability to schedule, manage and watch DVR recordings by profile, the ability to pick up where you left off with profile-specific “Continue Watching” and favorite channels specific to each profile. 

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—Sling TV has relaunched Disney Star, a major provider of popular South Asian programming as part of the Sling South Asian offering of linear channels and on demand content. 

With the relaunch Sling is providing access to 19 linear channels and offering 150 hours of on-demand entertainment every week from Disney Star's portfolio. 

"We have been looking for a way to bring Disney Star's content back to DISH and Sling because it is beloved by our South Asian customers," said Liz Riemersma, vice president of business development, strategy and international, Sling TV. "The addition of Star's 19 live channels and a selection of Hotstar's original programs will provide our customers with the best South Asian content, all in one place."

"We are excited to further extend the reach of our compelling and multilingual portfolio to our audiences in the United States, through our collaboration with DISH and Sling TV," said Sudhir Nagpal, head, international business, Disney Star. "The US has a strong viewer base for our content especially the series and format shows on our class-leading channels across languages. In addition to our much-loved channel offering, we will also be serving our most sought-after Hotstar Specials to the US viewers. We constantly explore opportunities to connect with our audience and this latest collaboration with Sling TV is another step in that direction."

Upon Disney Star's launch on Sling, new content will become available with Hindi, Dakshin and Desi Binge packages (among others), which also offer a wide variety of live and on-demand Desi entertainment.

U.S. viewers seeking access to the best of Disney Star programming and Hotstar Specials will need to add one of the Sling South Asian packages to their Sling subscription.

WASHINGTON—Broadcasters from around the country are gathering in Washington this week for a two-day event focused on two important issues affecting the future of radio and television broadcasting. Hosted by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and the National Alliance of State Broadcasters Associations (NASBA), the conference will focus on a regulatory proceeding examining carriage of broadcast television programming on streaming platforms as well as broadcasters' response to certain automakers removing AM radio from their newer model vehicles  

During the event, which takes place June 13-14, attendees will discuss the FCC’s nearly decade-long proceeding examining streaming platforms, or virtual multichannel video programming distributors (vMVPD), that offer linear programming. The briefing will cover the FCC’s ongoing proceeding regarding whether vMVPDs require federal regulations that treat them on more equal regulatory footing with cable and satellite systems.

(See also: Battle Among Networks, Affiliates and Streamers Heats Up)

Attendees will also discuss the latest radio and automotive trends and how AM operators can prepare their stations for the future. Sens. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Deb Fischer (R-NE) will also offer insight into recently introduced legislation aimed at preserving AM radio in automobiles and representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will discuss AM radio’s critical role in the National Public Warning System.

Following the conference, attendees will travel to Capitol Hill to speak with lawmakers about the importance of in-vehicle AM radio, especially during times of emergency. Attendees will encourage congressional passage of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (H.R. 3413/S. 1669), legislation that would direct the Secretary of Transportation to ensure consumer access to AM radio in all automobiles. Attendees will also ask lawmakers to encourage the FCC to refresh the record in the vMVPD proceeding and collect up-to-date marketplace information reflecting the increased influence of digital distribution platforms.

"This conference will tackle head-on two unique challenges facing radio and television broadcasters," said NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt. "Broadcasters serve their communities with unmatched local news, information and entertainment, and policymakers in Washington have a role to play in ensuring consumers retain access to their favorite stations. We look forward to working with lawmakers on preserving and protecting a vibrant broadcasting industry."

"Through their service to every community in every corner of the country, America’s local broadcasters understand their audiences and how best to serve their need for information, especially during times of emergency," said Dewey Bruce, president of NASBA and the Montana Broadcasters Association. "Broadcasters are galvanizing this grassroots strength into action by educating lawmakers about two issues affecting the future of our industry to ensure we can continue serving Americans with local news, weather, community affairs programming and lifesaving emergency coverage."

SAN FRANCISCO—Philo has announced that it is adding nine new free channels to its base package and that it will be highlighting programming for Memorial Day and Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI).

The new FAST channels include: Cowboy Way, Drag Race Universe, Screambox TV, Boss Ross Channel, Fail Army, People are Awesome, Pet Collective, Comedy Dynamics, and Outside. 

For Memorial Day, the Philo streaming service will be highlighting miniseries and films honoring those who lost their lives in wars. That content includes: “Band of Brothers” (History Channel), “We Were Soldiers” (MGM+), “Fury” (STARZ), “Hacksaw Ridge” (A&E) and “Flags of Our Fathers” (AMC). 

It is also offering a variety of content honoring Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI). More information on that collection is available here.  

NEW YORK—FuboTV Inc. is rebranding its consumer-facing products as Fubo and is kicking off a national ad campaign as part of the new branding. 

The nationwide campaign stars 15-time NBA All-Star, NBA Champion and Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett and veteran NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez and is co-produced by Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort Productions.

“FuboTV has grown in size and scope, with multiple brands under our global umbrella, since we launched our core cable TV replacement product in 2015,” said David Gandler, co-founder and CEO, Fubo. “Alongside our continued growth, our consumers have affectionately shortened our name to Fubo and we feel that name represents the premium media brand we are today. We’re building on this momentum with an updated visual identity and new ad campaign, created in partnership with Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort, to continue to drive profitable growth as we head into baseball season.”

The new brand logos will roll out across Fubo’s products and apps over the coming months. 

Launching amid the World Baseball Classic and the start of the Major League Baseball season, Fubo’s new brand ad campaign is framed by the line, “If Sports Fans Built a Streaming Service,” and highlights Fubo’s unique product experience, built for the most hungry, competitive and digital-first sports fans, the company said. 

The campaign stars Kevin Garnett, Mark Sanchez and a comedic ensemble cast. It highlights Fubo's recent #1 ranking in Customer Satisfaction among Live TV Streaming Providers by J.D. Power. The multi platform campaign includes a series of :15 and :30 national spots and digital display ads.

“In a time with seemingly endless options, our new brand campaign shows what sets Fubo apart as a must-have for sports fans,” said Pamela Duckworth, head of Fubo Networks and originals, Fubo. “We worked hand-in-hand with Maximum Effort to bring this concept to life and I’m extremely proud of the content we’re creating together.”

The co-production with Maximum Effort is part of a multi-year partnership with Fubo that reflects the common creative vision of the two companies. The deal includes the forthcoming launch of the Maximum Effort Channel, a linear network on Fubo, as part of an exclusive first-look for unscripted TV series as well as a blind scripted deal.

“The reason Maximum Effort believes in Fubo is it’s the one product that captures the best of cable and the best of streaming, while having the very meaningful differentiator of live sports,”  said investor Ryan Reynolds. “While cable fights cord-cutters and streaming services fight the cash content war, Fubo is building an experience and suite of services that can win.”  

YouTube TV has introduced its highly anticipated multiview feature that will allow its subscribers to view up to four program streams simultaneously. Multiview will only be available for a limited number of subscribers on the first day of the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament and is designed to help the streamer garner viewer feedback in anticipation of a full-scale rollout when YouTube TV's "NFL Sunday Ticket" service launches in the fall. 

In a blog post, the company said subscribers could pick up to four pre-selected streams at once in their “Top Picks for You” section. After selecting multiview, viewers can switch audio and captions between streams, and toggle back and forth out of a fullscreen view of a game. 

“Multiview joins our suite of features for sports fans and we’re looking forward to continuing to improve the experience and introducing it to all YouTube TV subscribers over the next several months,” the company said.

In December, NFL and Google inked a multiyear deal reportedly valued at $2 billion a year to move "NFL Sunday Ticket," which had been a staple of DirecTV since it launched in 1994, to YouTube TV starting with the 2023-2024 NFL season. 

NFL Sunday Ticket will be available on two of YouTube’s businesses as an add-on package on YouTube TV and standalone a-la-carte on YouTube Primetime Channels. No details on pricing are yet available. NFL Sunday Ticket offers all out-of-market Sunday regular-season NFL games (based on viewer's location) broadcast on Fox and CBS. 

In a Q&A on the blog post, German Cheung, the engineering lead for the YouTube TV core experience team, talked about how the company developed the technology to ensure that home viewers would not need any extra gear for a feature that involves higher processing and bandwidth than the typical unicast.

The streamer used existing technology it had already developed for a feature called “Go Live Together” that allows for content creators to collaborate in real time. “Instead of building something totally new from scratch, we could use what the Live team had already created and make adjustments from there for the YouTube TV platform and bring the feature to market faster,” Cheung said. 

It also borrowed from YouTube’s content ID system that monitors YouTube videos and matches it with content uploaded by copyright owners. “Our teams found that we could use the same technology to make our recommendations even better by using what had already been built to make sure we don’t recommend the same, or similar, videos to a viewer,” he said.

As for now, the menu available to the limited number of subscribers will be pre-selected by YouTube TV but that’s expected to change as the service rolls out to a wider audience, Cheung added. 

“Over time, we’ll refine and add more functionality to multiview, including the option to customize your own multiview streams.”

SALT LAKE CITY—Vidgo has announced a new carriage agreement with Tennis Channel, which will provide subscribers of the vMVPD service with exclusive, live coverage of more than 93% of the events in professional tennis each year. 

This includes the upcoming, highly anticipated BNP Paribas Open (March 8-19) and Miami Open (March 21-April 2) tournaments.

“Vidgo’s streaming platform is a favorite for dyed-in-the-wool live sports fans,” said Derek Mattsson, CEO of Vidgo. “Tennis Channel is one of our most important additions to expand our lineup of live sports because it features some of the world’s best athletes, entertaining and thrilling fans for hours in what I believe it one of the most exciting spectator sports around. Tennis Channel is the perfect complement extensive sports lineup, and I can proudly say we are now the best sports streaming service with the best value overall.”

“We’re pleased to work with Vidgo to make Tennis Channel available to their growing subscriber base,” said Lee Schlazer, senior vice president, distribution, Sinclair Broadcast Group. “As streaming options continue to rise in popularity, our goal remains the same – to bring Tennis Channel’s unrivaled coverage to people wherever they want to experience it. With two of the biggest tournaments in professional tennis taking place here in the United States in March, this couldn’t have happened at a better time for Vidgo customers.”

Vidgo’s partnership with Tennis Channel comes on the eve of one of the busiest, most prestigious months on the annual tennis calendar. The network will show more than 550 live and encore hours from March 8-April 2, essentially becoming a 24-hour channel devoted to each event as it takes place. 

Sports vMVPD streamer FuboTV reported a loss of $152.9 million in Q4 and added 214,000 new subscribers during the period, bringing its total number of subscribers in North America to 1.445 million.

Although the loss was higher than the $112 million reported during the same quarter a year, the company attributed much of the increase in a $56.2 million write down in discontinued operations. The company reported that it had surpassed $1 billion in global annual revenue in 2022 for the first time. 

Revenue for Q4 in North America totaled $312.1 million, up 36% YOY while ad revenue was up 30% YOY to $33.6 million. 

Outside of the North America market, FubuTV reported a 117% increase in subscriptions YOY to 420,000 total. 

The company said it would spend 2023 focusing on expanding and improving delivery of FAST channels. 

“Fubo’s fourth quarter results represent a strong finish to 2022 and an inflection point for our company supported by two very important milestones: we surpassed $1 billion in total annual revenue and $100 million in ad sales annual revenue for the first time,” said David Gandler, co-founder and CEO, Fubo. “The fourth quarter also marked our lowest level of quarterly cash usage in Fubo’s time as a publicly-traded company and we achieved positive gross profit. Over the course of 2022 we undertook bold measures to position our business for today’s challenging macroeconomic environment. We furthermore believe that Fubo’s model will prove to be resilient, profitable and poised to continue to deliver a truly differentiated consumer experience while providing our media partners with a growing distribution platform.”

“Fubo delivered a record fourth quarter and full year across a number of our key financial and operational metrics,” said Edgar Bronfman Jr., executive chairman, Fubo. “In 2022, we added differentiated content, including Bally Sports’ expansive portfolio of regional sports networks, aimed at driving subscriber growth and doubling-down on our sports-first positioning. We believe our continued subscriber growth gives us real leverage in partner negotiations and we are more closely examining which content aligns with our profitability goals. Additionally, we believe our Unified Platform initiative, which will integrate Molotov’s team and technology, will drive further innovation enabling us to deliver a premium experience that surprises and delights our customers. We remain very excited about the opportunity in front of us.”

EMERYVILLE, Calif.—Nielsen’s Gracenote has launched Gracenote Streaming Channels Data, a solution that enables content discovery platforms to connect consumers to programs on free ad-supported TV (FAST) channels as well as linear channels on virtual MVPD (vMVPD) services. 

Integrating Gracenote Streaming Channels Data into their workflows allows content aggregators to serve as one-stop shops for viewers who increasingly are turning to free services for programming to augment premium streaming service content, the company said.

Streaming Channels Data provides content discovery platforms with access to Gracenote's database of schedules for linear streaming channels. Each airing includes a Gracenote ID and normalized channel and program metadata enriched with imagery, descriptions and celebrity information. The rich dataset enhances content discoverability and enables more personalized program recommendations across different services, ultimately improving the user experience, it said.

"As consumers look for free ad-supported TV content to complement their on-demand services, easy integration and discovery options become more important than ever for aggregator platforms," said Simon Adams, chief product officer at Gracenote. "By solving for these challenges, Gracenote Streaming Channels Data helps platform customers work towards optimizing their user experiences and securing their positions as go-to destinations for viewers." 

The launch of Gracenote Streaming Channels Data expands the company’s Streaming Video suite of datasets built to assist entertainment services around the world engage with audiences with compelling content from a variety of sources. Available now in the U.S. and Europe, the new solution joins existing Gracenote offerings which improve search and discovery of entertainment and sports programming across all platforms, it said.

More information is available online. 

ALLAS—New data from Parks Associates' Video Services Dashboard shows that 19% of US broadband households have a vMVPD service, which is an online pay-TV service that offer bundles of live channels via third-party connected devices. 

The company noted that it will be presenting that research and other recent data in its upcoming fourth annual Future of Video: OTT, Pay TV, and Digital Media conference on December 14. 

More information on the conference is available here. 

ADDISON, Texas—The COVID-19 pandemic is resulting in a significant migration of traditional pay-TV customers to virtual MVPD platforms, according to a new report by Parks Associates, including just a little under half of surveyed U.S. broadband households with pay-TV planning to make the switch in the next year.

From its “Growth and Challenges for vMVPDs” report, Parks Associate has found that 43% of U.S. broadband homes that have traditional pay-TV are likely to switch to a vMVPD service within 12 months. During the COVID-19 pandemic, vMVPD services like Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV have pushed their advantages in pricing, content and platform flexibility to help spur this growth.

The report also found that 17% of vMVPD subscribers had already switched in the previous 12 months. Price was the primary reason, with many saying that their cable or satellite service was too expensive. Other reasons that people cited for switching were some features only being available from an online service; a promotional offer; to watch specific channels; their previous service had too many channels; the cable/satellite service was too unreliable; desire to end contracts and termination fees; or not wanting to deal with required equipment.

Parks says that prior to the pandemic, vMVPD subscriber growth was waning and some vMVPDs were posting continued losses. While the pandemic has helped fuel recent growth, things like vMVPDs recent price increases make it uncertain how consumers will respond long term.

“Subscriber losses in traditional pay-TV continue, while the vMVPD category continues to grow, thanks to consumer price sensitivity and preferences for platform flexibility,” said Paul Erickson, senior analyst, Parks Associates. “Traditional pay-TV operators have online delivery in their roadmaps, if not already deployed. We expect vMVPDs will continue to grow dramatically and will gradually become the dominant offering in the pay-TV landscape.”  

“vMVPDs have substantial opportunity if they can avoid the pitfalls that typically drive pay-TV customer dissatisfaction, such as rising prices and inflexible content and platform options. With content prices rising and competition increasing, vMVPDs should remain conscious of consumer price sensitivity while keeping a strict adherence to a consumer-centric experience,” Erickson said.

For more information, visit the Parks Associates website. 

BELLEVUE, Wash.—T-Mobile is set to enter the streaming market, unveiling the TVision streaming service that aims to help eliminate the cable industry and ramp up the cord-cutting trends. “With TVision, you can cut the cord, cut the cost and cut the crap,” said Dow Draper, T-Mobile executive vice president of Emerging Products.

TVision offers three services—TVision Live, VIBE and CHANNELS—all of which are scheduled to launch on Nov. 1.

TVision Live offers live news, sports, 100 hours of cloud DVR and more than 10,000 on-demand programs, per T-Mobile, at a starting price of $40/month. There are multiple tiers of TVision Live: the basic version, TVision Live TV ($40/month) offers more than 30 channels, including ABC, Fox, NBC, Turner and ESPN; TVision Live+ adds more than 10 other channels, including The NFL Network, ESPNU, SEC Network and The Golf Channel for $50/month; TVision Live Zone runs at $60/month and adds another 10-plus channels, including NFL RedZone.

TVision VIBE offers live and on-demand programming from more than 30 channels, including AMC, BET, Discovery, Food Network, Hallmark, HGTV, MTV and TLC for $10/month.

TVision Channels is an a-la-carte streaming service that has Starz, Showtime and Epix among its offerings, which can all be managed in the T-Mobile app or online.

Full channel lineups are available at T-Mobile.com/TVision.

All three service are available through Android and Apple mobile devices through the T-Mobile TVision app; on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV or Google TV; or on th TVision Hub, an HDMI streaming device and remote that can connect the TVision app with other streaming apps like Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max and others. There does not appear to be a TVision app for Roku at this time.

TVision falls in line with other vMVPD platforms like YouTube TV and fuboTV that offer as an alternative to cable while still accessing traditional broadcast options.

NEW YORK—fuboTV, a vMVPD streaming service, has reported significant growth in both its number of subscribers and its total revenue from the first quarter of 2020, which ended on March 31.

Financial filings shared by FaceBank Group Inc., which merged with fuboTV in April of this year, show that the streaming service’s revenue for Q1 was $51 million, a 78% increase from Q1 2019. The company cites growth in subscriptions, subscription Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) and advertising sales as key contributors to the increase. Specifically, the number of paid subscribers at the end of Q1 was 287,316, an increase of 37% year-over-year, while the ARPU per month was $54.16, an increase of 25% year-over-year.

Other key statistics from the filing detail that the total streaming hours by fuboTV users (paid and free trial) in the first quarter increased 120% to 107.2 million hours. Monthly active users watched 120 hours per month on average in the quarter, an increase of 52% from 2019. Additionally, fuboTV says that early findings from Q2 2020, while most people have sheltered at home due to COVID-19, shows viewing hours have peaked at 8.5 hours per day and 145 hours per month.

Other financial news from fuboTV includes the strengthening of the company’s balance sheet with an additional $46 million in equity funding from institutional and private investors since the merger with FaceBank, including $20 million from Credit Suisse Capital.

fuboTV also recently signed a deal with the Walt Disney Company to add ESPN and other Disney-owned content to its programming.

“We believe fuboTV is at the forefront of the streaming revolution and has a significant advantage not only over peers in the vMVPD space but also over traditional cable television,” said David Gandler, fuboTV CEO, in a letter to shareholders. “We believe consumers will continue to choose streaming over traditional pay television because of this more personalized, premium viewing experience that is also less expensive.”

For more information, visit www.fubo.tv.  

SAN BRUNO, Calif.—For the second time in a little more than a year, YouTube is hiking its fees following the addition of new channels.

With the launch of new ViacomCBS channels like Comedy Central, MTV, BET, Nickelodeon and more onto Google’s vMVPD service, YouTube TV will now cost subscribers $64.99 per month, a $15 raise from the previous $49.99 per month. Back in April 2019, YouTube TV was available for $39.99 per month.

Rounding out the new ViacomCBS channels are CMT, Paramount Network, TV Land and VH1. BET Her, MTV 2, MTV Classic, Nick Jr., Nick Toons and Teen Nick are expected to launch at a later date. These additions come as a result of new multi-year agreement between Google and ViacomCBS.

YouTube TV’s basic plan now offers more than 85 channels. In addition, subscribers can access Cinemax and HBO Max through the service.

The $64.99 price will apply to all new subscribers immediately. Current subscribers will be charged the increased rate as part of their billing cycle on or after July 30.

In addition to the new price, YouTube TV has added a number of new features, per the company’s announcement. They include:

• Jump to specific news clips: Viewers can jump to various segments within select news programs 
• Control over recorded content: Viewers can now pause, rewind and fast forward through all recorded shows, regardless of network 
• Dark mode: A dark background meant to reduce glare 
• Mark a show as watched: An option to select “Mark as Watched” on desktop and mobile devices 
• An updated Live Guide: The Live Guide on the desktop has been updated to show what’s on, including as far ahead as seven days 

“[T]his new price reflects the rising cost of content and we also believe it reflects the complete value of YouTube TV, from our breadth of content to the features that are changing how we watch live TV,” said Christian Oestlien, vice president of product management at YouTube TV, in the announcement.

For more information, visit tv.youtube.com. 

LOS ANGELES—Fewer consumers feel the need to have both a virtual MVPD service and a traditional pay-TV subscription than they did just a couple of years ago, as a new report from TDG, a division of Screen Engine/ASI, shows that 23% of households subscribe to both types of services.

2018 was the peak of dual-service use, as TDG says that 37% of vMVPD subscribers also subscribed to a traditional cable, satellite or telco pay-TV service. This was because vMVPD platforms, like Sling TV, did not carry live programming from the major national broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC). As a result, consumers felt that the two services were necessary to satisfy household needs.

Today, services like Hulu Live TV and YouTube TV, both of which include the major four networks, have become market leaders. This has led to a decreased need for two separate services.

PLUS: Pay-TV to Experience Global Market Shift by 2025

However, of the 23% of vMVPD subscribers who do have a legacy pay-TV subscription as well, they say that the programming requirements of their home require it, and that they often use the second service when they are away from home. Also, 71% of dual-subscribers see their legacy service as their primary service.

In 2018, TDG predicted that the 37% of dual-subscribers would decline to 10% by 2022, and believe that the latest data still supports that trajectory.

“Most OTT pay-TV services now provide a full complement of both broadcast and cable channels, meaning they are more capable of competing head-to-head with ‘fat’ legacy offerings,” said Michael Greeson, co-founder and president of TDG.

Greeson also makes the case that simply combining the data for traditional pay-TV and vMVPD subscribers for a cumulative pay-TV subscription tally is invalid and that the overlap should be recognized.

TDG will discuss the data from this report and other insights during its “Stream TV’s Summer Research Summit” on June 29.

For more information, visit www.tdgresearch.com.  

NEW YORK—ViacomCBS and Google have come to terms on a multi-year distribution agreement that will see Google’s YouTube TV vMVPD service continue to carry ViacomCBS channels.

The deal will not only continue to provide YouTube TV subscribers with CBS broadcast stations, CBS Sports Network, Pop TV, Smithsonian Channel and The CW—as well as access to ViacomCBS’ premium subscription services, like Showtime—it also adds 14 new channels to the service.

New channels include BET, CMT, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, TV Land and VH1, all of which will launch this summer. BET Her, MTV2, Nick Jr., NickToons, TeenNick and MTV Classic will launch on YouTube TV on a later, currently unspecified date.

An extended partnership on the broader YouTube platforms is also part of the agreement.

PLUS: Report: 44% of vMVPD Homes Switched from Traditional Pay-TV

“We’re excited to launch ViacomCBS’ portfolio on YouTube TV this summer,” said Lori Conkling, global head of partnerships at YouTube TV. “Our expanded partnership delivers on our promise to offer a premium portfolio of content to our YouTube TV subscribers, as well as across the YouTube platforms.”

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. There was also no word on whether this would lead to an increase in price for the YouTube TV service.

DURHAM, N.H.—Homes that subscribe to vMVPD services—like YouTube TV, Hulu Live+ TV or AT&T TV Now—came over from traditional pay-TV services about half the time, according to a new report from Leichtman Research Group.

LRG’s study, “Internet-Delivered Pay-TV Services 2020,” showed that 44% of current vMVPD subscribers had switched directly from a traditional pay-TV service. Among others who switched subscriptions, 18% came from another vMVPD and 12% had most recently been non-subscribers to any pay-TV service. For 26% of vMVPD subscribers, they still subscribe to a traditional pay-TV service.

A majority of vMVPD subscribers (65%) fall between the ages of 18 and 44. According to LRG, 18% of 18-44 year olds overall have a vMVPD service; that falls to 9% for ages 45 and above.

Other findings from the report revealed that 76% of vMVPD subscribers are “very satisfied” with their service, which is up from 69% in 2018. Only 14% said they are very likely to switch from a vMVPD service in the next six months.

Of those that have both a vMVPD and traditional pay-TV service, 42% cite having more options as the top reason for subscribing to both; 15% cite serving multiple people or TVs in the home, 14% cite channels or content only available from one type and 8% cite testing or trialing a service.

In addition, vMVPD users are more likely to have additional streaming options. LRG found that 95% of vMVPD subscribers also subscribe to a SVOD (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu) service, compared to 74% of traditional pay-TV subscribers and 77% of non-subscribers. Overall, 79% of all households have at least one SVOD or DTC streaming video service; 44% have three or more.

“More than ever, consumers are exploring the trade-offs between traditional and vMVPD pay-TV services—along with an increasing number of streaming options—to find the combination of content and cost that best meets their needs,” said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for LRG. “Younger adults and those with more people and TVs in the household have thus far proven to be most attracted to the lower-cost and lower-channel vMVPD options.”

For more information, visit www.leichtmanresearch.com.  

NEW YORK—A class action lawsuit filed late last week alleges AT&T and a group of its senior executives fraudulently inflated subscriber numbers for its DirecTV Now virtual MVPD service in an effort to bolster the company’s case that Time Warner shareholders should accept its acquisition offer.

The suit, filed Sept. 13 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, names AT&T and 18 executives, including retiring AT&T CEO of Communications John Donovan and Randall Stephenson, chairman and CEO of AT&T Inc., as defendants.

The plaintiffs, including union pension funds and individuals, say the executive defendants “were motivated to heavily promote DirecTV Now until the Time Warner Acquisition closed.” Bringing together the telecom giant’s video distribution assets and Time Warner’s content library and production capabilities was promoted as a major reason the deal should go forward.

“The launch of DirecTV Now was an important test of the viability of AT&T’s side of that bargain,” the suit alleges. The new service’s success gave Time Warner shareholders a good reason to trade their stock shares for those of AT&T, it says.

However, the suit alleges DirecTV Now wasn’t “a viable product.” Commercialized before it was ready, DirecTV Now experienced “severe service issues” including “frequent interruptions, service freezing and buffering, app crashes, being automatically logged out, missing features and billing issues,” according to the suit.

The suit alleges AT&T encouraged employees to create fake customer accounts to build the illusion of robust DirecTV Now subscriber growth. The company used “highly discounted promotions” that resulted in high customer churn once promotional pricing ended and promoted “unreasonable and extremely aggressive sales quotas” for employees that pressured them into using “unnatural sales or flat-out fraudulent” sales tactics, according to the suit.

The company “taught and actively encouraged” employees to convert phone upgrade activation fees into subscriptions to the service “by waiving the fee, but charging the customer anyway, and applying the payment to up to three DirecTV Now accounts using fake email addresses without telling the customer they had been signed up for the subscription,” the suit alleges.

Sizable churn began to appear in early 2018, and by the summer of 2018 monthly reports and weekly analysis revealed that “more than 40-50%” of subscribers were cancelling once promotions ended, it says. The suit references a former AT&T employee who saw “a 35% ‘take rate’ (or, 65% churn rate) for DirecTV Now.”

According to the suit, AT&T disclosed on Jan. 30 that virtually none of the 500,000 “heavily discounted” subscribers remained with the service. AT&T also said “that DirecTV Now subscriptions in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018 had declined by 267,000 subscribers—a stark reversal of supposed net adds in 4Q17 through 2Q18.”

The lawsuit, filed by Pomerantz LLP and Labaton Sucharow LLP, seeks a trial. The firms are seeking compensatory damages, costs and interest from AT&T if the company is found guilty of violating security laws.

According to an AT&T spokesperson, the company “plan[s] to fight these baseless claims in court.”

DURHAM, N.C.—A new report from Leichtman Research Group indicates that the core customers of live streaming vMVPD pay-TV services—Sling TV, DirecTV Now, YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, etc.—fall in the age range of 18-44 years old. Per LRG, 71% of U.S. adults that have a vMVPD service are between the ages of 18-44. More than half of those, 42%, fall in the age range of 18-34.

A reported 43% of current vMVPD customers made the switch directly from a traditional pay-TV service; 25% of those with streaming services said that they still have a traditional service as well as. Meanwhile, 17% of vMVPD subscribers switched to their current service from another vMVPD, while 15% were most recently non-subscribers to any type of pay-TV service.

Other key findings from LRG’s report include:

• Overall, 16% of all 18-44 year olds subscribe to a vMVPD; that drops to 6% for those over 45;
• In that 18-34 age range, 26% are traditional pay-TV subscribers and 33% are pay-TV non-subscribers;
• 73% of vMVPD subscribers are “very satisfied” with their service; but 20% say they are very likely to switch from a vMVPD service in the next six months;
• 93% of vMVPD subscribers also have a SVOD service (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu). Only 71% of traditional pay-TV subscribers, and 74% of non-subscribers also have a SVOD subscription; and
• 24% of those that do not currently have a vMVPD service are “very interested” in getting one

These statistics were based on an online survey of 6,715 households in the U.S. View LRG’s full “Internet-Delivered Pay-TV Services 2019” online.

The number of households receiving their television via over the air antenna now represents 14 percent of all U.S. television households, nearly double what it was eight years ago, according to a new report from Nielsen.

With the television industry being upended by the emergence of multiple streaming options, the result has been declining pay-TV subscriptions and the increasing use of alternate methods of distribution, including the old-fashioned TV antenna.

“As of May 2018, more than 14% of all TV households—or 16 million homes—have OTA status, and that number is on the rise,” said Justin Laporte, vice president of Local Insights for Nielsen, in its latest “Local Watch Report.” “As consumers look for more on-demand and cost-effective options, there has been a resurgence in this type of television household.”

In its report, which analyzes the evolving habits of viewers, Nielsen divided these OTA households into two categories: “Plus SVOD,” those households that supplement their viewing options with streaming services such as Hulu (not Hulu Live), Amazon Prime and Netflix; and “No SVOD,” households that get their television strictly via antenna.

There are distinct differences in the demographics and behavior of the two types of households, according to Nielsen.

“The ‘No SVOD” homes tend to be older, more diverse and have a smaller median income, compared to the “Plus SVOD” segment, which skews younger, more affluent and more device-connected,” Laporte said said. “We see different media behavior with Plus SVOD homes consuming less traditional media and spending more time on personal devices. In an average day, the No SVOD homes have more viewing to broadcast stations, at almost five hours, than all of the TV usage combined in Plus SVOD homes.”

A third, but smaller and growing category—part of the “Plus SVOD” group—consists of households that get their programming via streaming services such as DirecTV Now, Youtube TV, Sling TV and others. These “virtual multichannel video programming distributors,” (vMVPD) make up 1.3 million of the Plus SVOD households, according to Nielsen.

“Sharing a similar profile to the Plus SVOD group as a whole, these consumers have a higher median income and access to more devices,” Laporte said. “They also have access to individual cable networks and spend an almost equal amount of time watching broadcast and cable sources.”

Here is the breakdown:

No SVOD: This group represents 6 percent of total U.S. homes, comprising 6.6 million homes in the U.S. This demographic skews older, with over half households of median income of less than 30K. They are also less likely to own mobile devices such as smartphones, streaming devices or tablets.

Plus SVOD: There are 9.4 million homes, representing 8 percent of total U.S. homes that make up this segment. The median viewer age is 36 and the households have a higher average income and more “well connected” with more access to mobile and streaming devices.

Geographically, Milwaukee has the largest percentage of “No SVOD” households: (11.1%) and Plus SVOD households (no vMVPD): (16%), while Dayton, Ohio has the largest percentage of “Plus SVOD (with vMVPD) households, representing 2.7% of all U.S. households.

Regardless of what Nielsen labels them, they are all considered “cord cutters” or “cord nevers” by the industry. 

Streaming of virtual MPVD services accounted for about 10% of all OTT usage in the U.S. in April, according to a new report from comScore. This represents a 53% increase year over year in vMVPD usage, the research company noted. With operators including AT&T reporting swift growth of vMVPD services—the company’s DirecTV Now platform added 342,000 customers in the second quarter, for instance—the total U.S. vMVPD customer base grew 58% year over year to 4.99 million as of April, comScore added.

Notably, streaming pay TV services seem to be a competitive threat to Netflix, Hulu and other non-live OTT services. According to comScore, among households that have adopted OTT, nearly half of time spent on OTT services is devoted to vMVPDs.

[Read: Pay-TV Continues To Be Decimated By Cordcutting Trend]

ComScore also said that households with a vMVPD service spent, on average, 128 hours a month streaming OTT content,

Virtual MVPD households also tend to subscribe to more OTT services—an average of 6.1 services vs. the 3.8 for OTT households that don’t have a vMVPD subscription.

Susan Engleson, senior director of emerging products for comScore, predicted that vMVPD subscribers will reach 7 million by the end of 2018.

“Given the competitive price points and low barriers to entry for consumers (no installation required), I anticipate that we will continue to see significant growth in virtual MVPDs in the years to come,” she said. “Both Hulu and YouTube launched their services in 2017, so they are still in their infancy and have significant growth potential. In fact, it’s likely both services will well exceed one million users each this year.”

PLANO, TEXAS—Early word on virtual pay-TV services is overwhelmingly positive, according to a new report from The Diffusion Group. TDG’s “Benchmarking the Connected Customer” project from Q2 2017 found that 86 percent of users find vMVPD services in a positive light.

The survey findings come from 2,000 adult broadband users. From that sampling, less than 5 percent said they were using a live streaming pay-TV service. However, among the users, 49 percent ranked service value as “very good” and 37 percent ranked it as “good.” There was 11 percent who were neutral on the service and 3 percent ranked the service as poor (1 percent “poor,” 2 percent “very poor”).

“Users seem okay without the ‘full Monty’ of legacy pay-TV channels, and to be fairly tolerant of the shortcomings that haunt live streaming video, such as buffering, pixilation and screen freezing,” said Michael Greeson, president and principal analyst at TDG.

TDG expects to launch additional research on vMVPD users, looking to assess who they are, their decisions and preferences and their potential impact on the future of TV.

To access the full “Benchmarking the Connected Customer” report, visit TDG’s website.