Fubo quietly raises prices. Is it still worth considering over YouTube TV?  | amznusa.com

Now that live TV streaming service Fubo is bringing NBC channels back, the bill for those channels is coming due.

The Disney-owned Fubu has quietly announced sweeping price hikes in a support document on its website. Base packages are rising by $15 per month, while Fubo’s skinnier sports plan is increasing by $9 per month and regional sports fees are increasing in four major markets.

While Fubo’s sports offerings felt incomplete without NBC’s channels, alternative packages from YouTube TV and DirecTV are in many cases cheaper, or they offer more channels for the same cost. So, if you’re one of the 6 million people paying for Fubo today, it’s time to re-evaluate your options.

Fubo’s NBC price hikes

Fubo is still in the process of adding NBC’s channels. Once the rollout is complete, both NBC and NBCSN will become available in Fubo’s base and Sports plans. Fubo’s base plans have already added Telemundo, regional NBC Sports networks, and Cozi, with Bravo to follow. Fubo’s Spanish-language plans are also getting Universo.

Notably, Fubo is not restoring CNBC, MS Now, USA Network, Golf Channel, Oxygen, E!, or SyFy. Comcast spun those channels off into a separate company called Versant earlier this year, and Fubo does not have a carriage agreement with the new company.

Here’s a breakdown of Fubo’s latest price hikes:

• Fubo Essential/Pro/Core: $73.99 → $88.99/mo. + regional sports fees
• Fubo Elite/Ultra: $83.99 → $98.99/mo. + regional sports fees
• Fubo Ultimate: $98.99 → $113.99/mo. + regional sports fees
• Fubo Deluxe: $103.99 → $118.99/mo. + regional sports fees
• Fubo Sports: $55.99 → $64.99/mo.

Jared Newman / Foundry

As for those regional sports fees, Fubo’s base plans now carry a $16 per month fee in Boston, Philadelphia and northern California, where Fubo offers NBC’s regional sports networks. In other markets, the fee ranges from $13 to $17 per month. As before, Fubo hides these fees from its landing page and only discloses them during the checkout process.

When Fubo removed NBC’s channels last fall, it reduced the price of its standard plans by $11 per month. Now, it’s raising them by $15 to $18 per month. Factor in regional sports fees, and Fubo’s standard plans now start at $102 per month, or $105 per month in markets with regional NBC Sports. Fubo’s Sports package never had NBC channels to begin with, and the new price of $65 per month reflects their inclusion.

How does Fubo compare now?

Unless you want regional sports coverage, you’ll likely be better off without Fubo.

Fubo’s $65 per month Sports package, for instance, has fewer sports channels than similar options from YouTube TV and DirecTV, which also cost $65 per month:

• YouTube TV Sports includes nearly everything in Fubo Sports plus TNT, TBS, USA, Golf Channel, NBA TV, and regional NBC Sports channels in certain markets. Tennis Channel and Fox News are missing, though YouTube TV lets you bundle all major cable news channels for $7 per month more.
• DirecTV MySports ($65 per month) includes nearly everything in Fubo Sports plus TNT, TBS, USA, Golf Channel, MLB Network, NBA TV, and NHL TV. DirecTV’s plan is missing Tennis Channel, NBCSN, and Fox News, though you can bundle all major cable news channels for $15 per month more. (The biggest omission is NBCSN, which carriers live sporting events that are otherwise exclusive to Peacock.)

If you want a bigger package with more than just sports and local channels, Fubo again becomes one of the most expensive options once you factor in regional sports fees. At $102 per month or more, it’s pricier than other major live TV streaming packages such as YouTube TV ($83 per month), Hulu + Live TV ($90 per month), and DirecTV Entertainment ($90 per month). Those options also include more national sports coverage via TNT, TBS, USA, and Golf Channel.

Now, if you do need regional sports, the calculation gets trickier.

The only other live TV streaming package with broad regional sports coverage is DirecTV Choice, which costs $95 per month plus regional sports fees ranging from $8 to $24 per month. (You can calculate DirecTV’s fees here, while Fubo makes you ask a chatbot on its website.) Fubo’s plans will always be a little cheaper, and the inclusion of NBCSN has some value as it carries live sports that would otherwise require a Peacock subscription. Again, though, you’ll miss some national sports coverage via TNT, TBS, USA, and Golf Channel.

The other option for regional sports is to subscribe to them separately. Every MLB team now offers standalone streaming plans, for instance, and similar options will be available for basketball and hockey in the fall. Combining those plans with a cheaper pay TV package (or no package at all) is often the best way to save money.

None of this means that a Fubo subscription is entirely without merit. The service has an attractive interface, easy-to-use DVR features, and split-screen multiview (at least on Roku and Apple TV devices). In some narrow cases, it can also be cheaper than the alternatives.

Still, Fubo’s packages were more unique while the company was still fighting with NBC, as customers could either pay for a separate Peacock subscription to make up for the missing channels or pocket the savings. Now that Fubo and NBC have made up, that flexibility has gone away.

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