• Loading stock data...
Saturday, August 2, 2025
Tuned In returns to NYC on September 16. Hear from the biggest names in sports media. Click here to get your spot

FuboTV Subscribers Show Appetite for Content Other Than Live Sports

  • FuboTV subscribers are consuming more hours of television, as high as 8.5 hours per day, during the pandemic.
  • Streaming service has relied on entertainment options to retain users while sports slowly return.
Photo Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

FuboTV’s subscribers come for the sports and stay for the entertainment. But it is the latter that has helped the multichannel video programming distributor retain users amid the absence of most live sports.

The average monthly hours watched by subscribers are now up over 140 during the coronavirus pandemic, according to CEO David Gandler. That’s compared to 129 at the end of December and just 50 hours of television consumed at the beginning of 2019.

FuboTV typically measures hours watched by subscribers every 30 days. But Gandler noted that average viewership has peaked at 8.5 hours per day with families quarantined at home. Users are additionally watching content across 19 channels compared to 10 before the coronavirus pandemic.

“That should indicate to you that streaming services need to have an enormous amount of content to keep subscribers engaged,” Gandler said during Credit Suisse’s 22nd Annual Virtual Communications Conference, Wednesday. “That’s why I believe aggregation wins over the long haul.”

That means larger bundles – or channel options available within single apps – will ultimately attract more subscribers to streaming services. Roughly one-third of all of FuboTV’s streaming offerings cannot be found on other MVPD services like YouTube TV, Gandler said.

However, YouTube TV or even Sling TV are not FuboTV’s biggest competitors, at least not at this point.

Gandler refers to those companies as peers, while FuboTV’s real rivals are traditional cable companies like Comcast or Verizon Fios. Combined, the cable industry still controls the lion share of the consumer TV market. About 84 million households in the U.S. still have cable, according to the company.  

“The biggest reason why consumers will cut the cord over the next 12 months is because of price. But then after that, it will be because of the user experience,” Gandler said, adding that FuboTV’s machine learning technology has led to significantly increased hours in viewership via recommendation options.

READ MORE: Digital, Social Media Talent Adjusting To Work From Home

Gandler did not provide an update on FuboTV subscriber count. The streaming service ended 2019 with nearly 316,000 users and revenue of $146.5 million. In a May company shareholder letter, FuboTV said it also expected first-quarter revenue in 2020 to increase by at least 75% year-over-year.

Heading into what should be a busier sports calendar in the coming months, FuboTV will ramp up advertising to draw fans. The company is also committed to creating larger bundles around sports while scaling up entertainment options.

In addition to its standard $54.99 package featuring live sports, FuboTV offers sports add-on subscriptions that include channels like NFL Red Zone, NBA TV, NHL Network, and Tennis Channel.

Most streaming services push some of these acquisition costs down to the customer. FuboTV is also not concerned with the rising cost of sports distribution rights from leagues and media partners.

“We’re not worried about it,” Gandler said. “We launched in 2015 at $6.99 per month. We’re now at $54.99, so almost 10 times higher from where we started, yet we have improved retention and grown subscriber count.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Jul 15, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts to the crowd as they take on the Connecticut Sun in the first quarter at TD Garden.

WNBA Viewership Up Across All Networks Compared to 2024

Non-Fever games are up 37% compared to the full 2024 season.

Streaming Tops Linear for First Time, Sports Still Key to TV’s Resilience

Streaming hits another critical milestone in an accelerating media transition.

Disney’s Hulu Takeover Sets Stage for Deeper ESPN Integration

The ESPN parent company will pay $438.7 million to complete the transaction.

Featured Today

Coco Gauff at New York Liberty

How the New York Liberty Became the Hottest Ticket in Town

Once banished to the burbs, the Libs are now Brooklyn’s marquee attraction.
Las Vegas sign
July 29, 2025

College Sports Embracing Vegas After Years of Cold Shoulder

The Big Ten became the latest newcomer to Sin City.
2000, Jupiter, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Montreal Expos pitcher Hideki Irabu in action on the mound against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium during Spring Training
July 28, 2025

Dead Sports Franchises Are Alive and Well on Twitter

The Expos, Sonics, and Whalers have active social media accounts.
Limited Hype
July 27, 2025

Sneaker Reselling Was Once Easy Money. Success Is Now Complicated

Vendors need to evolve what they’re selling and how they do it.
NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace (23) celebrates winning Sunday, July 27, 2025, the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Amazon, TNT Post Near-Identical NASCAR Ratings in Debut Season

The cable channel is a new media-rights partner this season.
July 29, 2025

WBD Restructuring Shows What’s Old Is New Again

WBD will become Warner Bros. and Discovery Global as two separate entities.
Jul 27, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Sky guard Kia Nurse (11) drives to the basket against Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) during the second half at United Center.
July 29, 2025

Fever-Sky Draws 1.5M Viewers Despite Clark, Reese Absences

Clark and Reese both missed the game due to injury.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
HAPPY GILMORE 2. BTS - (L to R) Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore and Rory McIlroy as himself on the set of Happy Gilmore2.
July 26, 2025

‘Cool As Hell’: How ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Hooked Golf’s Top Stars

The process was “cool as hell,” Adam Sandler tells FOS.
July 24, 2025

CBS Sports to Get New Owner As Skydance Merger Clears FCC Hurdle

The long-awaited, but highly debated, merger gains regulatory approval.
Dec 7, 2024; New York, New York, USA; A general view of Times Square during the MLS Cup Times Square Watch Party prior to the game between the LA Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls.
July 24, 2025

MLS Reveals Apple TV Streaming Numbers, Raising Questions

The league gives a rare glimpse inside the high-profile streaming pact.
A Peacock sideline reporter holds a microphone with the NBC Peacock logo during Michigan State's football game against Washington on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.
July 24, 2025

‘Unusual’: NBCU’s Surprise Interest in a New Cable Sports Network

Its previous channel NBCSN was shuttered less than four years ago.