FuboTV, one of the many players in the now-crowded live TV streaming subscription space, is reportedly going to add a free, ad-supported streaming option to its existing paid subscription business, according to TechCrunch and an interview given to The Wrap, by FuboTV CEO and co-founder, David Gandler.
Digital Trends asked FuboTV to confirm the report and a company spokesperson responded that, “FuboTV believes in the future of pay TV and we are looking at launching an ad-supported channel, not a platform.”
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Expected to launch sometime in 2019, possibly as late as the October to December window, little is known about how FuboTV plans to run the channel, or exactly what content will be available on it. FuboTV has traditionally been a sports-centered service, appealing to those looking to amp up their sports diet while cutting the cord from their satellite or cable provider. In recent months, the company has dramatically expanded its non-sports offerings, including a slew of channels from Viacom, such as BET, CMT, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Paramount Network, TV Land, and VH1. However, with expansions comes greater expenses, and in March 2018, FuboTV increased its base price by $10 per month, to $55. That’s $5 more per month than DirecTV Now’s Plus package, which also includes HBO, and ESPN, two major channels that FuboTV lacks.
A free, ad-supported channel would give FuboTV access to a much larger audience — assuming its programming is compelling — and an easy way to promote its paid subscription as a desirable upgrade for those who haven’t taken the plunge yet. It remains to be seen whether or not Apple will let FuboTV include its free channel within the Apple TV app — FuboTV recently joined Playstation Vue and DirecTV Now as one of the three live TV streaming services supported by Apple’s video platform.
The free, ad-supported model is starting to make inroads into the live TV streaming market. Viacom recently purchased PlutoTV, a free streaming service that will now offer a selection of Viacom’s shows. YouTube recently announced that it would be making all of its Originals free to stream as an ad-supported product, and even though it denies it, it’s highly likely that Amazon is eyeing a similar move. Walmart-owned Vudu has had a free movie option since 2016.
There is also plenty of appetite for the free ad-supported model among music streaming services, too. Amazon and Google both launched free tiers of their music services, specifically for users of their smart speakers, a move which gives listeners a new option beyond Spotify’s own free streaming option.
FuboTV today announced that the streaming service had 1.13 million paid subscribers as of December 31, 2021, up from the 1 million subs it had at the end of the third quarter of 2021. The addition of 185,000 subscriptions in the fourth quarter means the service closed 2021 with an increase of 106% more subscriptions than the year before.
And it beats the guidance update the company issued on January 10, 2021, when it said to expect more than 1.1 million paid subscriptions, up from the previous guidance of between 1.06 million and 1.07 million.
The NFL playoffs are underway, and teams are battling it out to see who will represent the AFC and NFC in Super Bowl 2022 in Los Angeles. So, too, rages the battle for the best streaming service for Super Bowl 2022.
If you're a cord-cutter, you've got more options than you probably realize. Many streaming services are showing Super Bowl 56, so you won't need a cable subscription or an antenna (but if you're considering the latter, we've got you covered, too). And whether you're accessing them directly through your smart TV or a streaming device, a few of the standout services we recommend are FuboTV, Sling TV, and Hulu +Live TV, which are reasonably priced and all have access to NBC, the official broadcasters of the Super Bowl this year. We've got the goods on those and more below.
FuboTV increases its subscriber estimates to 1.1 million for 2021
FuboTV today announced preliminary fourth-quarter 2021 results, with the total number of subscribers at the end of the year expected to exceed 1.1 million. That's up more than 100% year over year -- which considering to the seasonal nature of streaming in general and FuboTV specifically due to its strong lean toward live sports -- is the measurement the company prefers over pure quarterly numbers.
The major increase for FuboTV in 2021 is in the first half of the year. The streaming service, which has prices and channels comparable to the much larger players in the space, ended the first quarter with about 590,000 subscribers. It reported 681,721 subscribers through June and then eclipsed the 1 million mark in November.