Is fuboTV good?
As a live TV streaming service with hundreds of live channels and a fat DVR, fuboTV is another good option for cable quitters to kick around. It’s a little more expensive than most, but there are plenty of features that are worth it here.
fuboTV launched in 2015 as “Netflix for soccer,” but has since set its sights on becoming a full-service TV streaming destination. Don’t worry, soccer fans, it still covers the world’s sport ridiculously well—fuboTV has far from abandoned its original goooaaalll!
In fact, the majority of fuboTV’s live TV streaming lineup is still made up of sports channels. So if you compare it to other streaming services that offer more balanced entertainment-to-sports programming ratios, fuboTV is still a few yards short.
Pros
- Large channel lineups
- Extensive soccer coverage
Cons
- Expensive plans
- No TBS, TNT, or other Warner Bros. channels
What is fuboTV?
fuboTV is an expensive streaming service, but it offers cord-cutters the most sports-specific channels and a sufficient lineup of entertainment networks. Soccer is still fuboTV’s specialty, but league channels like NBA TV, NHL Network, and NFL Network bolster its athletic scope. It’s one of our favorite streaming services for sports for a reason.
fuboTV offers up to 230 live channels, a 1,000-hour cloud DVR, and a slick interface that neatly mirrors what you’re used to with cable or satellite service. fuboTV ranks competitively for sports channels in our Best Live TV Streaming Services rundown.
It’s also just fun to say “fubo.”
Keep reading to learn more on whether or not the fuboTV packages and prices hit the mark for your TV-viewing needs.
fuboTV plans and pricing
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Most of fuboTV’s channels are sports-centric, but there are also entertainment and lifestyle networks like Comedy Central, FX, AMC, Bravo, Syfy, HGTV, and Nickelodeon, among many others.
But, there’s also the little matter of no WarnerMedia channels like TNT, TBS, or Cartoon Network. That’s kind of a big deal, especially if you enjoy watching basketball and hockey.
fuboTV vs. the competition
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
fuboTV deals and promotions
fuboTV offers a seven-day free trial for new users. You’ll be able to stream live TV from over 200 channels for a week before you fully commit to the service.
fuboTV channels
Cable entertainment staples like Syfy, HGTV, FX, AMC, Comedy Central, BBC America, IFC, and USA Network all stream live on fuboTV, with previously aired programming available on-demand.
If you like news, MSNBC, CNBC, Fox News, Fox Business, and Cheddar News are also available.
But wait, to paraphrase late-night infomercials, there’s less: besides TBS and TNT, fuboTV is also missing a few entertainment channels that prospective cord-cutters might overlook at first glance. You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone from your channel lineup.
Channels fuboTV doesn’t carry:
- A&E
- Boomerang
- Cartoon Network/Adult Swim
- CNN
- CNN International
- CNN en Español
- HISTORY
- HLN
- Lifetime
- Lifetime Movie Network
- TBS
- TNT
- truTV
- Turner Classic Movies
Those are some heavy-hitters to do without—no Cartoon Network or truTV? Life with no Rick and Morty or Impractical Jokers is rough.
fuboTV sports channels
fuboTV carries sports, sports, and more sports—even ESPN channels (a recent development).
That puts fuboTV over the top for us, as we’ve named it our best live TV streaming service for sports. You’ll see why when we list the channels below.
fuboTV live sports channels (partial list):
- ACC Network
- beIN Sports
- Big Ten Network
- CBS Sports Network
- ESPN
- ESPN2
- ESPN Deportes
- FS1
- FS2
- Pac-12 Network
- Olympic Channel
- FOX Soccer Plus
- FOX Deportes
- fubo Sports Network
- Golf Channel
- NBA TV
- NBC Sports Network
- NFL Network
- NFL RedZone
- NHL Network
- TUDN
- Regional sports networks
Obviously, fuboTV’s jam is sports—and the above list doesn’t even include the optional sports-package add-ons available. If your sports tastes lean more varied and international (is there such a thing as a “sports hipster”?), fuboTV probably has it.
fuboTV local channels
fuboTV doesn’t carry local channels like ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, The CW, and Telemundo in all areas, but does offer content on-demand from these networks.
Admit it: You don’t want to miss the new season of The Voice any more than we do, but it’s a possibility if NBC is missing from your fuboTV feed. If this is the case, you may want to buy a digital over-the-air antenna to pick up local TV stations for free.
fuboTV channel add-ons
fuboTV’s basic plans can get you over 130 channels—but, if you need even more sports or some extended entertainment, you can drop a few more bucks to get them.
fuboTV add-on packages:
- SHOWTIME (9 channels; $10.99/mo.)
- STARZ (7 channels; $8.99/mo.)
- MGM+™ (3 channels; $5.99/mo.)
- SHOWTIME + STARZ + MGM+ ($19.99/mo.)
- AMC Premiere ($4.99/mo.)
- fubo Extra (46 channels; $7.99/mo.)
- Sports Plus (26 channels; $10.99/mo.)
- Adventure Plus (6 channels; $4.99/mo.)
- Latino Plus (15 channels; $19.99/mo.)
- RAI Italia ($7.99/mo.)
- Portuguese Plus (5 channels; $14.99/mo.)
- International Sports Plus (8 channels; $6.99/mo.)
- TV5MONDE ($9.99/mo.)
- Entretenimiento Plus (10 channels; $4.99/mo.)
fuboTV specs and features
fuboTV more than holds its own when it comes to Cloud DVR hours, simultaneous streams, and compatible devices, outperforming top competitors like Hulu Live and Sling TV. That said, the devil is in the details. Read on to understand some of fuboTV’s limitations before you sign up.
fuboTV cloud DVR
| Plan | Storage |
|---|---|
| Pro | 1,000 hrs. included |
| Elite | 1,000 hrs. included |
| Ultimate | 1,000 hrs. included |
fuboTV’s plans come with 1,000 hours of cloud DVR space included. Not bad, fuboTV. Not bad at all.
That’s more than most other live TV streaming services offer. If you’re someone who likes to let those House Hunters episodes and Swiss Super League soccer matches accumulate, you’ll appreciate the extra space.
fuboTV simultaneous streams
| Plan | Streams |
|---|---|
| Pro | Up to 10 |
| Elite | Up to 10 |
| Ultimate | Up to 10 |
fuboTV’s Pro and Elite plans give you 10 streams on the same home network. During our hundreds of hours of user testing, our team confirmed that you can’t stream fuboTV at the same time on separate home networks. So, if you’re sharing your fuboTV login with other households, you’ll need to factor in that little detail.
fuboTV compatible devices
| Device | fuboTV |
|---|---|
| Amazon Fire Cube, Stick, TV | ✔ |
| Android phones, tablets, TVs | ✔ |
| Apple TV (4th gen.) | ✔ |
| Apple TV 4K | ✔ |
| Chromecast, Chromecast with Google TV | ✔ |
| Echo Show | ✔ |
| iPhone, iPad, iPod | ✔ |
| LG TVs (select models) | ✔ |
| Nintendo Switch | — |
| NVIDIA SHIELD Pro TV | — |
| PC, Mac web browsers | ✔ |
| PlayStation 4, 5 | — |
| Roku Ultra, Express, Premiere, Stick, TV | ✔ |
| Samsung TVs (select models) | ✔ |
| Vizio SmartCast TVs (select models) | ✔ |
| Wii | — |
| Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S | ✔ |
Despite being an excellent service for watching games, fuboTV doesn’t play well—or at all. Gaming devices like PlayStation, Nintendo, and NVIDIA are not fuboTV-compatible.
fuboTV video and audio quality
fuboTV streams at 720p/60 fps, which is currently the standard across all live TV streaming services, making its HD quality comparable to that of other services like YouTube TV and Sling TV.
One thing that fuboTV offers that the others don’t? It has 4K sports streaming, even though it’s limited to select events on NBC, FOX, FS1, and NBCSN.
fuboTV’s sound feed is standard 2.0 stereo audio; Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 Surround Sound isn’t yet available. You’re not missing out on much, though: streaming services often advertise Dolby 5.1 sound, but that claim applies to only a small amount of select programming.
Final take: Is fuboTV worth it?
For fans of soccer and international sports, fuboTV is a dream streamer. It’s CableTV.com’s no-brainer pick for best live TV streaming service for sports.
For cord-cutters looking to replace cable or satellite service entirely, however, wake up: fuboTV has a few too many holes in its entertainment channel lineup for us to fully recommend it as a stand-alone cable substitute.
But if your regular live TV viewing needs are minimal and you’ve been meaning to get into Australian women’s cricket (who hasn’t?), fuboTV could open up a whole new world for you.
fuboTV FAQ
How much does fuboTV cost?
fuboTV offers three plans: Pro (130+ channels, 1,000 hr. cloud DVR) for $74.99 a month, Elite (190+ channels, 1,000 hr. cloud DVR) for $84.99 a month, and Ultimate (230+ channels, 1,000 hr. cloud DVR) for $94.99 a month.
fuboTV also offers several add-ons and upgrade options, including a SHOWTIME + STARZ + MGM+ premium channel bundle for $19.99 a month.
Is fuboTV free?
fuboTV isn’t free, but the streaming service does offer a seven-day free trial to take it for a test drive. Live TV streaming service Philo also has a free trial period.
What’s better, Hulu + Live or fuboTV?
For about the same price per month, fuboTV carries more live channels than Hulu + Live TV (Hulu + Live TV: 70+; fuboTV: up to 166). But, Hulu + Live TV also gives you access to Hulu’s large library of on-demand TV shows and movies, as well as original content—because of this, we think Hulu + Live TV is a better value than fuboTV.
Which is better, Sling TV or fuboTV?
Sling TV offers cheaper plans than fuboTV, but also fewer channels in its basic plans. Even though Sling TV features a wide array of add-on channels packages, we prefer fuboTV’s live TV streaming experience.
Is fuboTV better than YouTube TV?
YouTube TV and fuboTV are close in price and channel counts, but YouTube TV has the advantage of carrying more local channels in most markets, as well as WarnerMedia channels like TBS, TNT, and CNN—not to mention an unlimited DVR. In this case, we’d give YouTube TV the edge over fuboTV.
Methodology
Our sports and TV experts spent over 100 hours streaming live sports and entertainment on fuboTV to test its functionality, content offerings, and overall reliability. We also compared its prices and DVR capabilities to other live TV streaming services to see how fuboTV stacks up to its competition.
For more information on our methodology, check out our How We Rank page.
