Pros & Cons
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- Many live sports and on-demand entertainment options
- Reliable streaming in testing
- Excellent web interface
- Capable DVR functionality
- Some 4K content
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- Most live streams are limited to 720p
- Lacks A&E, Turner, and WBD channels
- Lookback mode limitations
Fubo Specs
| 4K Live Streams | |
| Ads | |
| Concurrent Streams | 2 or 10 |
| DVR Storage & Retention | Unlimited |
| Live TV | |
| MLB Playoffs Coverage | FOX and FS1 |
| Monday Night Football | ESPN |
| NBA Finals | ABC |
| On-Demand Movies and TV Shows | |
| Regular Season National NBA Coverage | ABC and ESPN; NBA TV (via Add-On) |
| Regular Season National NHL Coverage | ABC and ESPN; NHL Network (via Add-On) |
| RSN Coverage | AT&T SportsNet and some NBC Sports |
| Sports Coverage | International, National, & Regional |
| Starting Price | $84.99 per month |
| Sunday Football | CBS and FOX; NFL RedZone (via Add-On) |
| Sunday Night Football | NBC |
| Thursday Night Football | FOX and NFL Network |
| World Series Coverage | FOX |
Cutting the cord doesn't mean you can't watch live sports or prime-time TV shows, because a good video streaming service can replicate—and often improve on—the cable TV experience. Fubo has many news and entertainment channels, easy-to-use DVR capabilities, and reliable performance. Its main strength is that it covers most major sports and leagues at the local, national, and international levels. Its biggest downside? Most live streams are capped at 720p, which doesn't look great on a 4K TV. Still, Fubo is a well-rounded option if you're a cord-cutter who wants to stream a wide variety of content.
Plans and Prices
Fubo's "cheapest" general tier, the Pro plan, costs a hefty $84.99 per month. The Pro plan features approximately 245 total channels, depending on your location. It includes Cloud DVR (which lets you record unlimited hours of content to DVR storage) and Unlimited Screens (which lets you simultaneously stream to 10 devices at home and two away from home). Fubo's Elite plan is $104.99 per month and builds upon the Pro plan, offering 323 channels and 4K support. For $114.99 per month, the Deluxe tier has 337 channels.
(Credit: Fubo/PCMag)The service also has several lower-cost themed packages. For example, the Latino plan ($14.99 per month) includes roughly 50 channels, such as beIN Sports, Discovery en Español, ESPN Deportes, Familia, Fox Deportes, Univision, GOL TV Español, Nat Geo Mundo, and TUDN. Notably, this tier includes streaming rights to 70 Conmebol qualifying matches. It also comes with unlimited Cloud DVR and simultaneously streaming support for two screens. You can supplement your Fubo plan with other add-ons, such as Adventure Plus ($4.99 per month) and Latino Plus ($19.99 per month). MGM+ ($5.99 per month) and Starz ($10.99 per month) add-ons are available, too.
The Sports Plus add-on with NFL Redzone is likely most relevant to sports fans. It costs $10.99 per month and includes ESPNews, ESPN U, NFL RedZone, NBA TV, NHL Network, MLB TV, Stadium, and the Tennis Channel. The Elite and Deluxe tiers come with Sports Plus included, but Fubo recently debuted an attractive, dedicated sports plan at a cheaper price. For $55.99 per month, you get 29 sports and news channels such as ABC, CBS, FOX, and ESPN Unlimited. We'll explore the many sports channels in a bit.
For comparison, Hulu + Live TV costs $89.99 per month and YouTube TV costs $82.99 per month. Sling TV's comparable Orange + Blue plan is $66 per month, but it has a more modest lineup. DirecTV plans start at $89.99 per month after all the initial sign-up discounts expire.
If you want to watch live TV but don't want to spend a ton of money, you have other options, albeit with some compromises. For example, ESPN Select costs $12.99 per month and has a good selection of live college and international sports. Dazn is pricier at $29.99 per month, but its live coverage is mostly limited to live MMA, boxing, and soccer. Philo does not offer local channels or sports programming, but its extensive library of entertainment channels is available for $33 per month.
Fubo is primarily available in the US, but it offers specific, limited plans for customers in Canada and Spain. You can view the list of available channels for both of those plans via Fubo's help center. Note that Fubo and Hulu are set to merge in the future, which may further shake up Fubo's offerings.
Sports Channels Galore
One of the top reasons to consider Fubo is its sports streaming lineup. The Starter plan provides national and local sports programming from broadcast affiliates (ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC), domestic sports channels (BTN, CBS Sports Network, FS1, FS2, Fubo Sports Network, NBA TV, NBC Sports Network, NFL Network, and The Golf Channel), and international sports channels (beIN Sports, GOL TV, and TUDN).
A deal with Disney adds key sports channels to the lineup, including ACC Network, ESPN, ESPN2, and SEC Network. The more expensive plans include ESPNews and ESPN U. Fubo's lack of ESPN channels was previously a glaring issue, but now you can watch all of that channel's live sports, including Monday Night Football, and flagship sports shows.
Depending on your location, you may have access to regional sports networks (RSNs). These channels cater to specific geographic regions, providing live sports coverage of teams in those areas. Most RSNs are owned by either AT&T (SportsNet), Comcast (NBC Sports), or Sinclair (Bally Sports). Fubo also has Bally Sports RSNs (previously FOX Sports RSNs). This is great news for sports fans, since these channels are the only way to stream many MLB, NBA, and NHL teams in some markets. Fubo has all the NBC RSNs and several AT&T SportsNet channels, too.
Fubo is subject to the same blackouts and restrictions as cable and other live TV streaming services; individual sports leagues determine what teams are shown in each local market. That means we couldn't watch games restricted to local networks outside of our own. National sports broadcasts are always available to watch regardless of location, though, and RSNs in your home network can be streamed even if you travel to a new location. For more, read Fubo's explainer on blackouts.
Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV generally match Fubo's sports lineup, though Fubo has international sports coverage. In addition, DirecTV restricts MLB Network, NBA TV, NHL Network, and RSNs to various higher-priced tiers, and lacks the NFL Network across the board. Sling TV's Orange and Blue plans split ESPN and popular national sports channels. Even with Sling's combined plan, you must pay for the Sports Extras add-on to achieve parity with the other services. For Sunday football games, you'll need the pricey NFL Sunday Ticket exclusively on YouTube TV.
For a full rundown of the sports channels you need, check out our roundups of the best NFL streaming services, the best MLB streaming services, the best NBA streaming services, and the best NHL streaming services. In the past, Fubo was one of the top options for streaming the Olympics, because it streamed many events in 4K.
News and Lifestyle Channels
Fubo includes all the affiliate broadcast networks we'd expect, including ABC (thanks to the recent deal with Disney), CBS, FOX, and NBC, but it lacks PBS. It also has a few CW affiliates. Check out Fubo's guide to local channel coverage to see if your locals are available. The service's news lineup is also solid, with channels such as ABC News Live, BBC America, CBSN, FOX News, MSNBC, and NBC. You get financial news from CNBC, Cheddar Business, and FOX Business.
The service bundles an impressive collection of entertainment and lifestyle programming. For example, it has FX, SYFY, USA, and The Weather Channel. Available children's programming includes Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Freeform, National Geographic, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., and Universal Kids.
We didn't find any Turner-owned channels, such as Boomerang, Cartoon Network, CNN, TBS, TCM, or TNT. If those cartoon channels are what you miss the most from that lineup, check them out on HBO Max. In fact, you also need HBO Max to watch Warner Bros. Discovery content, as Fubo does not offer those channels. The missing WBD channels include HGTV, Food Network, and TLC. Fubo dropped six A&E-owned channels, too, including A&E, History Channel, Lifetime, FYI Channel, Lifetime Movie Network, and Vice TV.
(Credit: Fubo/PCMag)Platforms, Navigation, and Features
Fubo is available via the web, Android, iOS, and the Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, and Roku media streaming devices. Game consoles are not supported. You can try the service with a free seven-day trial on any platform; however, this option requires a valid credit card. Select users can watch more than 170 free channels on Fubo, but only after letting their paid subscriptions lapse, an unusual approach to free streaming. We tested Fubo on a Windows PC and an Android phone.
On desktop, we liked Fubo's clean, compact, and snappy web interface that let us tinker with account settings (such as billing details and the add-ons), manage account profiles, and access the help center. Apart from the standard playback controls, you get 15-second rewind and fast-forward options; buttons for starting playback from the start (only available on select programming) and for resuming live playback; a button for starting a DVR recording; a closed caption toggle; and the ability to select the playback resolution. You can also add a channel to your favorites list, as well as switch to a mini-player.
The top menu is organized into six sections: Home, Sports, Shows, Movies, Guide, and Recordings. The Home section displays several horizontally scrolling lists of streaming content. The categories include Live TV, Live Sports, Top Leagues and Tournaments, News Live & Up Next, and Featured. The Sports tab highlights a few featured events in a top-level slider. The various sports categories appear across the top, which we further filtered based on their associated leagues. Below that, Fubo displays a complete list of sports events for the day. Alternatively, we navigated 72 hours backward to view Lookback content (more on that later) and 10 days forward to schedule a future recording.
Fubo divides entertainment content into two top-level categories: Shows and Movies. We browsed content based on what is popular, currently broadcasting, or by genre. The availability of shows and movies depends on what's streaming on the channels included in your plan, though there is some perpetually available on-demand content, too.
The Guide section is a two-column affair, with channels listed down the left side and the programming details on the right. You use this tool to see what's scheduled for up to 10 days in the future. From this screen, you can either click a thumbnail to launch a stream or hit the Record button to add it to your DVR library. Fubo also has a header, Networks, that lets you select and view content from specific channels. For example, when we clicked CBS, the interface displayed a brief summary of the network, a list of live and upcoming content, and any on-demand series it provides.
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The Recordings section features large thumbnails and organizes content into a simple list structure. With it, we used the search bar to look for content by title, team, league, or channel, but we wish we could search by date. Fubo has Recordings sections for Sports, Shows, and Movie recordings, which is helpful.
(Credit: Fubo/PCMag)Android and iOS Apps
Downloading and signing in to the Android or iOS app is a pain-free experience, though you must permit it to access your location. The attractive app features a dark theme with white and orange highlights. From the hidden left-hand menu, you switch profiles and view account details. However, you can't manage subscriptions, add-ons, control preferences for closed captions, or video streaming quality.
The main app view shows horizontally scrolling lists of various content categories. One includes all the available channels to watch, another lists live and upcoming sports, and others highlight top shows and on-demand content (such as Worth Binging, 4K On Demand, and Popular on Showtime). On the bottom, you can tap to switch between the Home, Sports, Entertainment, Guide, and Recordings.
The Recordings Section shows your recorded content, scheduled recordings, and the Continue Watching section, which shows live and on-demand programming that you've recently watched. This last section did not work reliably in testing; Fubo correctly added an on-demand movie to this area but did not do the same with any of the live sports programming we launched. The Guide mirrors the web version's design and functions, and is well designed for the mobile platform.
Overall, the mobile playback screen includes many of the same features as the desktop version, except for the favorite button, mini-player option, and Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode.
(Credit: Fubo/PCMag)Streaming Quality
Fubo's live channel streams are mostly limited to 720p resolution, which is disappointing; however, the picture quality was acceptable during testing. A representative confirmed that the service supports 720p/60fps streams. Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV stream channels in 1080p resolution on select platforms, while Philo and Sling TV are limited to 720p. Much of the on-demand content Fubo provides is available in 1080p. Fubo supports standard stereo audio for all its content, which falls short of Hulu + Live TV's support for surround sound for some titles in its on-demand library.
However, Fubo is one of the few video streaming services to broadcast live streams in 4K. A YouTube TV add-on brings 4K streaming functionality (plus enhanced DVR and simultaneous streaming features) to that service for an extra $19.99 per month. Prime Video experimented with upscaled 4K streams with Thursday Night Football, too.
To stream 4K content, your device must support that resolution, and your internet speed must be at least 25Mbps (download). The company's list of compatible devices includes the Apple TV 4K, Chromecast Ultra, FireTV 4K, FireTV Cube, Roku (Premier, Premier+, Ultra), and select Android phones. Read Fubo's 4K guide for the complete rundown of requirements. Note that you can't currently record events that broadcast in 4K.
By default, Fubo supports simultaneous streams on three devices, which is about average. However, as mentioned, the Unlimited Screen add-on bumps that limit to 10 concurrent streams on a home network. Sling TV's Orange + Blue plan gives you four simultaneous streams per account.
Streaming performance of live, on-demand, and DVR content from the mobile app is reliable, provided you meet the bandwidth requirements. For 1080p streaming, you need a 10Mbps (download speed) connection for each device. In testing, streams ramped up to full quality after only a few seconds.
We tested the service by streaming a football game on a PC via an Ethernet connection (200Mbps download) and didn't experience any video playback issues. We could tell that it wasn't a full HD picture. The commentary and crowd noises sounded fine.
Recording and Rewinding
Fubo's DVR functions are easy to use, and the service stores recordings for as long as you maintain a subscription. You can record unlimited hours of content to storage by default. Fubo conveniently records the entirety of an event on some channels regardless of when you start recording, which not all competitors do.
For comparison, YouTube TV's DVR storage is unlimited, and it keeps recordings for up to nine months. DirecTV and Hulu + Live TV do the same. Sling TV includes 50 hours of storage by default, and unlimited storage for an extra $5 per month.
Other cool features of Fubo are Lookback and Startover. With Lookback, you can go back up to 72 hours in the past to view any sports events that you missed. Using it, we clicked the Sports section's calendar icon and navigated back to the original airdate. Then, we hit the Watch Now button to view the programming. However, you can't record Lookback content to DVR storage. Note that not all of Fubo's included channels support Lookback.
The Startover feature lets you restart live broadcasts from the beginning, no matter when you tune in. For example, if you are in the middle of cooking or cleaning when a game or program is set to start, you don't have to rush; just launch the stream whenever and drag the progress bar back as far as you want. A Fubo contact noted that this feature was available on 102 total channels. DirecTV includes similar capabilities to both Lookback and Startover.
Accessibility and Parental Controls
Fubo supports closed captions, but you can't customize their appearance. Other video streaming services, including YouTube TV, let you customize properties, such as the font, text color, and caption size. None of Fubo's on-demand content supports Audio Descriptions, an accessibility feature that provides an audible narration of on-screen events and character interactions that are not discernible through dialog alone. Apple TV, Netflix, and Prime Video all provide Audio Descriptions for select programming.
Fubo lacks parental control options, which is disappointing since a lot of on-demand content could be inappropriate for some audiences. Sling TV and DirecTV are among the few live TV streaming services with this capability. On-demand services, such as Disney+. HBO Max, Netflix, and Prime Video let you set restrictions for TVs and Movies.
You can create six user profiles, which is helpful for families. For instance, each user can customize the guide with their favorites and only see those DVR recordings that belong to them. We would like to see Fubo add parental control options on a per-profile basis.
Can You Watch Fubo With a VPN?
Although we recommend using a virtual private network (VPN) at all times, some video streaming services, such as Fubo, may not function properly if you are connected to one due to geographic restrictions and broadcasting rights. To test whether Fubo works with a VPN enabled, we connected a desktop and phone to a US-based Mullvad server. Fubo detected the VPN and prevented us from streaming content.
Even if a VPN works with everything one day, it might not the next, as most streaming services do their best to block access via VPN. You can always disable the VPN temporarily or enable split-tunneling (if your VPN supports this feature) to gain access if you encounter connection issues. We recommend choosing a VPN based on security and privacy instead.
Final Thoughts
(Credit: Fubo)
Fubo
Fubo is an excellent streaming service for sports fans that also features many appealing news and entertainment channels for mainstream audiences.