Fubo Review
Last updated: 3/9/2024
Fubo started out as a niche option for soccer "futbol" fans. Over the years, it has evolved into a solid all-around option for most cord-cutters. It still puts a premium on sports so big-time fans likely already have it on their streaming radar. With a broad range of movies, news and reality programming, there's plenty here for non-sports fans as well. But is it worth the price and how well do their features stack up? Let's dig into all the details -- here's how we tend to review streaming plans:
- Channel value: dollar value of channel lineups vs pricing, including free trials
- DVR/Tech: cloud DVR storage, number of screens allowed and other key specs
- Program Guide: ease-of-use of their on-screen program guide (user interface, app stability, etc.)
Let's kick things off by taking a look at their four plans:
Advantages
- Most sports on streaming TV
- Good value across all plans
- Unlimited screens allowed
Disadvantages
- Additional fees for regional sports
- Missing key channels (e.g., A&E, CNN, TBS & TNT)
Fubo's Channel Value
Fubo has grown leaps and bounds in just a handful of years -- that tends to suggest folks dig their programming but does that sync up with value of the actual lineups? In most cases, yes. Fubo offers four different plans ranging from 185 to 261 channels (priced at $79.99 to $99.99). Let's figure out if those prices are a good value...
We analyze all TV plan by "Channel Value". What is that? Just by the numbers, it's the cost per channel of each plan - lower the better. For example, for the first and smallest plan, Pro, the cost / channel is $0.43 ($79.99 / 185 chs). That stacks up favorably against traditional TV providers like Xfinity and DIRECTV (channel values of around $0.40). Compared to other streaming providers, Fubo is also a good value -- for example, Hulu has a channel value of around $0.86 and YouTube is in the $0.50 range.
With regard to the actual channels in their plans, we cover that in more detail below but, in general, Fubo doesn't cut corners though is missing a few big channels. All plans include your local channels (full list of ABC, CBS, Fox, etc) a ton of sports channels and solid mix of news and movies. On the downside, some of those missing channels include A&E, AMC, CNN, History, Lifetime, TNT and TBS. So, if your must-have channels aren't available, you may want to stop your search here and look at a different provider.
As mentioned, Fubo has four different plans - three are in English and one in Spanish (Latino plan). They all have plenty of sports and entertainment but you'll get quite a few more of each as you upgrade:
Pricing and channel breakdown
Pro
Of the three English plans, the smallest is Pro ($79.99/mo for 185 channels). It includes all your locals and plenty of favorite such as: E!, Bravo, USA, FX, TLC, Disney, FS1, Discovery, NewsMax, etc. Sports-wise, you get ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, FS2, Big Ten Network, beIN x8, Fubo Sports x9 and much more. On average, you'll get access to at least 100 big sporting events a year (and thousands of regular ones).
Elite
The next and middle plan, Elite, is their most popular plan. It includes all the 185 channels from Pro plus two big channel packs: fubo Extra (58 channels) and News Plus (10 channels). Some of the new channels in fubo Extra include: NBA TV, MLB Network, NHL Network, PAC 12 Network, Tennis Channel, ESPN News, ACC Network, Nat Geo Wild, Outdoor and a bunch more. At least a third of this pack is made up of high-quality sports channels so if you watch a variety of sports (pro and college), consider upgrading to Elite.
Premier
Their last and largest English package, Premier, is the same as Elite plus the entire suite of Showtime channels (9 total). So, if you watch a bunch of Showtime, it's likely worth the extra $10 a month.
Latino
The Latino plan is their only Spanish-language package. With 65 channels at $32.99/mo, it's an excellent option for Spanish-speakers that don't need as many news and movie options (it still has a bunch of soccer).
Overall, here's a visual look at all the fuboTV plans. Note how you get the most value out of the Elite plan (just $10 more gets you 68 extra channels).
Fubo channels by plan
Fubo plans by price/mo
Missing Fubo channels
Fubo doesn't have full licensing deals in place with AMC Networks, A&E Networks or Warner Bros Discovery Networks. As a result, the following channels are not available on Fubo. It's likely a cost-savings measure so we don't expect this list to dramatically change anytime soon.
A&E Networks:
A&E, History, Lifetime
AMC Networks:
AMC, BBC America, IFC,
Warner Bros Networks:
Boomerang, Cartoon Network, CNN, CNN International, HBO, HLN, TBS, TNT, Turner Classic Movies
A good number of quality channels so be sure you can do without them (or have access elsewhere).
Sports and soccer channels
Back to sports, this is where Fubo really sets itself apart. In the Pro plan, 62 of the 185 channels are sports-related. If you upgrade to Elite, you'll get 74 of 252 sports channels. Even better, a good number of higher-profile events are in 4k (still a rarity these days). All the major sports leagues are covered from around the world. NFL, MLB, NBA, PGA, etc. But the biggest draw here is soccer. Thanks to all the beIN channels (8), TUDN and Fubo sports channels (7), you'll get access to all the top soccer leagues: EUFA, Liga MX, Serie A, NASL, MLS, Ligue 1, Copa América, CONCACAF and a ton more. Most of those leagues can be watched with any of Fubo's English plans and, not surprisingly, via Spanish-language broadcasts in the "Latino" plan.
DVR/Tech
With streaming, there's almost always no set-top receiver involved so all the tech lies in their network, service features and program guide. And since you use your own equipment (TV, Roku, phone, tablet, etc) the service has to be compatible with a bunch of platforms. Overall, Fubo scored above-average in all the categories we reviewed. Let's dig into the details:
1,000 hours of Cloud DVR storage
With all their English plans, Fubo allows a fair 1,000 hours of cloud DVR storage. With storage getting cheaper by the year, a growing number of OTT providers have begun offering unlimited storage (e.g., Hulu Live, DIRECTV Stream and YouTube TV). Their unlimited does come with a trade-off as it'll eventually expire (Fubo's storage doesn't) - still, unlimited is always better. So, while 1,000 hours should be plenty for most, unlimited frees a household from fighting over storage space. We wouldn't be surprised to see Fubo shift to unlimited sometime soon but for now, keep the limit in mind.
To actually record stuff from Fubo's program guide, you can select any live program from the moment it starts until it ends. They're available for playback right away and any user profile can access a recording (you just have to navigate to the account that created it). The actual recording and playback process is pleasant and intuitively easy.
Update (1/16/24): Fubo has announced that they will be upgrading ALL customers to unlimited storage (at no extra cost). The exact date it goes live is still to be determined but good to hear the news.
Unlimited screens
With any English plan, Fubo can be streamed on up to 10 devices at a time while at home. That's any combination of phones, tablets or laptops. We've tested this quite a bit and their monitoring software works quite well (the 11th connection reliably gets an error message). 10 devices is a bunch, though, and above-average compared to other streamers. Keep in mind that all devices need to be on the same network. So, if you have a repeater that uses a different network name, we suggest renaming it to match the source. Finally, the only other restriction is watching via a smart or connected TV. Each account is only allowed one TV connection. Fair enough as otherwise multiple families could stream on a big screen from the same account.
When away from home, screens are more restricted (all OTT providers do this). Fubo allows up to 2 devices to be connected at the same time. However, the next free feature bumps that up to 3 outside devices...
Family Share
Family Share lets you watch Fubo on up to three devices while away from home. So, if you're on the road a lot, want to share the big game with a cousin or the family just can't agree on what to watch while at a hotel, this really comes in handy. Family Share normally goes for $5.99/mo but is now a free part of any Fubo English plan - nice little perk.
Program Guide
A huge part of streaming revolves around the look and feel of the program guide. Whether it's finding a new show or tracking down that recording from last week. We've tested 'em all and Fubo does an above-average job of featuring recently watched stuff and recommending new ones. Its recommendation AI keeps getting better as well - more relevant suggestions with very few misses.
The exact layout of Fubo's program guide depends on how you're watching (Roku, iPhone, iPad, web browser, etc) but, in general, the guide is broken up by about five main sections:
Sports
Being Fubo, it's not surprising that their sports area is quite comprehensive and intuitive. The first step is to filter by sport (Baseball, Football, Soccer, etc). From there, Fubo shows you all the leagues and events that match... including upcoming events. Refine your search by choosing specific leagues. It's all pretty easy to use. Once you find what you want, start watching immediately or schedule a recording.
Fubo also has a cool feature called Lookback. It automatically records popular programs that aired over the past 72 hours. So, if you missed the big game and forgot to record it, Fubo gives you a second chance to catch it.
Shows & Movies (Entertainment)
This section lets you easily find all live shows and movies. It's straight-forward and self-explanatory, even for first-time users. Filter by genre (Action, drama, comedy, etc) to get more specific movie titles.
Guide
This is your default place for all live channels. Right at the top, you can view all live channels or by channels instead. From the live TV guide, there's a handy theme filter to narrow things down (e.g., choose "Sports" or "News" to filter everything else out).
My Stuff
Aside from housing your DVR library (recorded and scheduled), you can also see everything you previously watched and pick up where you left off. Throughout the entire guide, you can favorite any program or sporting event (by clicking a star icon). Those favorites show up in this section as well.
Wrapping up
Fubo is one of the more popular streaming services going. While a lot of that popularity is due to its emphasis on sports, a growing number of subscribers are signing up just for the general value of entertainment. Most folks that sign up for Fubo are leaving cable or satellite. Other than the lack of the TNT family of channels, Fubo's lineup stacks up quite well compared to traditional TV. Local channels and plenty of news and movie programming.
The biggest draw here is still sports. Even with the smallest plan, Pro, there are a ton of soccer-centric channels available... some of which are exclusive to Fubo (Fubo Sports Network, etc). Streaming TV is traditionally associated with a lack of live TV and sports. Fubo has both in spades. That's one of the biggest reasons Fubo has outpaced a number of rivals over the past few years.
Overall, while we'd like to see Fubo graduate to unlimited DVR storage and re-license some of channels no longer available (TNT, TBS, A&E, etc), it's still a very good value, especially for soccer and sports fans. For folks leaving linear TV and looking for broad programming with a slant on sports, its the provider we recommend most often.
- Channels: 261
- Best price: $32.99
- 7-day free trial
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