fubo.tv

Many people believe that cutting the cable cord means missing out on a significant portion of their television viewing experience. However, this is not actually true. You can watch primetime shows, live sports, and other major programming without cable TV services. Not to mention, you can recreate or improve the existing TV viewing experience without cable. If you are a sports lover, you may know about Fubo TV already. It is a live streaming service that offers 100+ channels including news, sports, and entertainment. Yes, it is true that it was once a pure soccer-only service, however, it has since become a full-fledged multichannel service with a thin bundle competing with the likes of Sling TV.

I enjoy Fubo TV because of its sports coverage. It covers a variety of sports from all over the world - not just national or international but events that are happening at a local level as well. Initially, it only offered a live feed of soccer games. However, since the relaunch, it has shown increasing interest in other types of content such as entertainment and prime time television.

History

FuboTV is a multichannel video programming distributor whose primary focus is sports content. It offers live coverage of MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA and MLS along with Plus News, International Soccer, Network television movies, and series. FuboTV is slowly testing the waters of entertainment and primetime programming. By increasing the variety of content, it is targeting young and old sports viewers who are searching for alternatives to cord-cutting. By appealing to an additional chunk of audience who want to enjoy streaming through their mobile, tablets, and smart TVs, FuboTV is hoping to grow its customer base.

The Network announced in 2018 that it had surpassed 250,000 subscribers and was experiencing growth at +100%. Each quarter, it added more than 30,000 subscribers. This highlights the need for a proper sports-oriented channel that acts as a one-stop-shop for all sports lovers.

Design

The website design demonstrates their commitment to sports by having a live-tv banner with a channel trailer with a light and dark blue combination. As you scroll down, you will see icons of all the channels available in your region. There are four categories for you to choose from - All, Sports, Entertainment, and News. As a sports lover, the first thing that catches my attention when I open the app is the Sports tab. There is a section with upcoming sports broadcasts and sub-menus for individual sports.

The Guide tab (common feature on all channels) has a guide menu that is aesthetically similar to the cable box. I streamed fuboTV through the app for Apple TV where the guide is listed horizontally rather than vertically. In a design sense, the interface might differ from device to device.

To access the guide menu on a Roku device if you are logged in from that device, you must exit the live feed. I don't like that these services with skinny bundles don't let you move up and down, channel by channel; there is a menu you must use to navigate the network.

Worth it if sports is your religion

If you are a sports lover, FuboTV will definitely satisfy your sports content desires. It is filled with a stellar sports lineup. A standard plan allows you to watch the national sports program from networks such as NBA, FOX, CBS, NBC, NFL, TNT, and TBS. Lots of people posted queries regarding how to stream All Elite Wrestling at the time of its premiere - TNT is the platform. Similarly to AEW, I even streamed the latest El Clasico on Fubo TV. Depending on your location, you can access regional sports networks to watch local cable channels covering sports events in that specific area. For instance, if you're in New York City, you get access to YES, SNY, and MSG. Apart from the local coverage, you also get access to international sports channels such as GOL TV, TUDN, Fox Deportes, and beIN Sports.

If there is a match or game that you cannot afford to miss, FuboTV likely will carry it. The network is not the most established one, and there are occasional blackouts here and there, but you get a variety of sports content on FuboTV.

News & Entertainment - Cherry on the Top

Despite its strengths in sports programming and entertainment, FuboTV does not disappoint when it comes to news and variety. Thanks to its partnerships with Viacom, Turner Network and Discovery, FuboTV offers viewers a wide range of channels including AMC, Discovery, Animal Planet, Food Network, HGTV, FX, SYFY, National Geographic, Travel Channel, Weather Channel, and USA Network. For children's entertainment, you can find channels such as Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Cartoon Network, and Universal Kids. Apart from that, for news content, you can enjoy a solid lineup of channels from channels such as CNN, CBSN, BBC American, Fox Business, NBC and MSNBC.

Desktop/Mobile experience

The website's interface is clean and compact with a mix of light and dark blue colors and hints of orange accents. The top menu has five sections - Sports, Series, Movies, Guide and Recordings. The default page has four categories. Apart from those, there are options to access Help Center and Account Settings.

Immersive App experience

The FuboTV app provides an immersive experience with an easy download and sign-in option. All you need to do is give permission and grant access to your location (for tuning into local events). Rest, it makes sure that your viewing experience is amazing. The sleek app has a dark theme with a white and orange accent which matches the website interface.

Main View Content

In the main view, you can find featured sports events with attractive thumbnails. Below that you will find live and upcoming content, replays of sports events, and a category list for various types of sports. At the bottom, you can switch from sports to movies, guides or my Fubo section with a simple tap. The Shows and Movies section is designed and organized in the same way as the Sports section.

My Fubo Section

If you visit the My Fubo section, you can access scheduled recordings, live and on-demand programming, and a Connect Your Google or Facebook account option. I don't like that you can't manage your subscription via the mobile app.

Streaming Quality

Fubo TV's streaming performance of live streams, on-demand, and DVR content are reliable, to say the least. Whether you're streaming from the website or through an app, you can easily meet the bandwidth requirements. For instance, you can stream 1080p streaming at a download speed of just 10Mbps for each device you stream with. Thus, streaming from simultaneous devices won't be much of a problem. I tested it completely and there were no lags. However, I would like to say that streaming over your cellular network will not be a pleasant experience.

Compatible with mainstream devices

If a streaming service is compatible with major devices, it simply adds to the overall offering. The Fubo TV website provides information about the supporting devices. It supports 4K content and thus is also compatible with Apple TV 4K, Chromecast Ultra, FireTV Cube, Roku and Fire TV 4k.

Plans & Pricing

There are three plans for you to choose from - Family, Ultra, and Latino Quarterly.

Family

With the Family Plan, you can access 64 channels with 130+ events in 4K. Cloud DVR Plus lets you recordings 500 hours. And with the family plan, you can share 3 screens at once.

Ultra

Ultra-Plan costs $74.99/month and allows you to access 131 channels with 130+ events in 4K. It also provides 36 entertainment channels such as Fubo Extra, 9 channels with on-demand content such as SHOWTIME, 22 additional channels such as Sports Plus. Apart from that, it also provides a similar Cloud DVR and screen sharing capabilities.

Latino Quarterly

The Latino Quarterly plan offers the most affordable option with 29 channels and full coverage of 130+ events in 4K. You can also access the cloud-based features of the Family and Ultra plans, but you can only share 2 screens at once.

Suggestions I have for Fubo TV

I appreciate the Fubo TV team's initiative and can see how they've been able to thrive in their niche. I would love for the developers to add more channels to their network, so it could be a complete package. However, that's not realistic as it would compete with ESPN's own streaming network, ESPN+.

Conclusion

If you are a sports fan, you can cut the cord and rely on FuboTV to back your needs. It has a wide variety of sports content and is slowly shifting towards the entertainment and news niche to offer diversity to its audience.