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In the near future, live TV streaming services like YouTube TV, Sling TV and FuboTV are what live television is going to look like. There’ll be no set-top cable box — instead all of your live TV shows will be streamed over the internet. To differentiate itself from rivals, FuboTV has a sports-centric focus, and the addition of Disney-owned networks like ABC and ESPN helps fill out gaps in its schedule. The attendant $5 increase to $60 per month also makes Fubo one of the most expensive options.
LikeSolid selection of channels with a sports bentFans of soccer will find plenty to loveQuick and easy navigation, especially on Roku
Don’t LikeLacks CNN, TNT, TBS and other Turner channelsYouTube TV is better overall for $5 moreHulu Live is a better value for $5 less
FuboTV has a robust channel lineup, and changes to the interface and suggestion engine have made it a lot more usable and fun, but I like two other services in this price range better. The cheaper Hulu Plus Live TV offers better value and a wealth of on-demand content, while YouTube TV offers a better experience and even more channels for just $5 more. It doesn’t help that when adding Disney’s networks, Fubo dropped Turner’s, meaning it no longer carries popular channels like TNT and TBS — so subscribers won’t get NBA or MLB games from either network. Overall, Fubo is a better service than it was — but still remains a niche player catering mainly to sports fans.
What is FuboTV?
FuboTV’s home screen on an Apple TV is uncluttered and friendly.
Ty Pendlebury/CNET
FuboTV launched in January 2015 as a soccer (er, football) streaming service and has expanded its reach with an extensive list of channels. Of our top 100 channels Fubo has 65, second only to YouTube TV with 75. FuboTV branches out into most categories including crime, drama and movies, but its origins are still apparent with dozens of sports-centric channels.
Fubo has offered live 4K sports programming in the past for events such as the 2019 Super Bowl, the Westminster Dog Show and the NCAA basketball tournament (March Madness). Due to the effects of the coronavirus, however, such coverage is on hold and the upcoming 4K events page on FuboTV hasn’t been updated in months.
As sports leagues restart, Fubo allows you to follow most of the action, particularly soccer like the UEFA Europa League. While the addition of ESPN and ABC are particularly welcome, besides dropping TNT and TBS the service also lost Fox’s regional sports networks in January. The chart at the end of this article has a full comparison of how FuboTV’s channel lineup fares against competitors.
The cloud DVR comes with just 30 hours of recording by default, although users can boost this to 500 hours for an extra $9.99 a month. By comparison, YouTube TV’s DVR has unlimited storage. I found that I filled Fubo’s 30-hour limit without trying at all, so heavy DVR users will probably want to budget for the upgrade — especially if you record entire TV series or games from your favorite teams.
Live TV streaming services compared
AT&T TV Now
FuboTV
Hulu Plus Live TV
Sling TV
YouTube TV
Base price
$55/month for 45-plus channels
$60/month for 100-plus channels
$55/month for 60-plus channels
$30/month for 30-plus (Orange) or 45-plus (Blue) channels
$65/month for 85-plus channels
Free trial
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC channels
Yes, in many markets
Yes, in many markets
Yes, in many markets
Fox and NBC only in select cities
Yes, in many markets
Simultaneous streams per account
2 ($5 option for 3)
2 ($6 option for 3)
2 ($15 option for unlimited)
1 (Orange), 3 (Blue)
3
Family member/user profiles
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Cloud DVR
Yes (50 hours, 200 hours for $10 a month)
Yes (30 hours, 500 hours for $10 a month)
Yes
Yes
Yes (keep for 9 months)
Fast-forward through or skip commercials with cloud DVR
No (Yes with $15 option)
Yes
No (Yes with $10 option)
Yes
Yes
What’s it like to use?
Ty Pendlebury/CNET
The basic menus are an improvement on the previous interface which, despite having the same options, felt overly cluttered as all of the entries were the same-size text. Options across the top of the home screen are Search, Home, Sports, Shows, Movies, Guide, Recordings and a smaller Account button.
Most of these menus summon a Netflix-like grid, which groups similar types of content, but I found the navigation speed varied according to platform. I used the interface on the most popular devices including Roku, Fire TV Stick, Apple TV ($179 at Apple), iOS and the Chrome browser. I found that while the mobile and browser versions worked as expected, the TV iterations varied, and some were slicker than others.
If you’re using the Apple TV, for example, the top navigation menu is hidden and requires an upwards swipe, but this looks more elegant than the Roku version which has a visible menu on all content pages. I liked Roku best for browsing — it was responsive and let me use the fast-forward key to zip through the thumbnails.
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My least favorite Fubo platform was the standard Amazon Fire TV Stick, and this is likely due to the hardware itself — the first clue was the lack of a fast-forward capability that Roku offers. Scrolling, whether it was up, down, left or right, was laggy with a noticeable stutter, and each thumbnail would take a couple of seconds to appear. The newer Fire TV 4K was better, but it still lacks Alexa integration for quick voice searches.
Should you get it?
Even compared with a month ago, FuboTV is more enjoyable than ever, thanks to some interface upgrades. Further, it offers the second-most “must-have” channels behind YouTube TV. If you’re a hardcore sports fan, or simply want one of the most diverse range of channels, it’s worthwhile signing up for a week to try it out. If you want the best value at this level, though, it’s Hulu where your money is best spent.
Top 100 channels compared
Channel
Hulu with Live TV ($55)
AT&T TV Now ($55)
FuboTV ($60)
YouTube TV ($65)
Total channels:
60
45
65
75
ABC
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
CBS
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Fox
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
NBC
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
PBS
No
No
No
Yes
CW
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
MyNetworkTV
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Channel
Hulu with Live TV ($55)
AT&T TV Now ($55)
FuboTV ($60)
YouTube TV ($65)
A&E
Yes
$
Yes
No
ACC Network
Yes
No
$
Yes
AMC
No
$
Yes
Yes
Animal Planet
Yes
$
Yes
Yes
BBC America
No
$
Yes
Yes
BBC World News
No
$
$
Yes
BET
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Big Ten Network
Yes
$
Yes
Yes
Bloomberg TV
Yes
$
No
No
Boomerang
Yes
Yes
No
No
Bravo
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Channel
Hulu with Live TV ($55)
AT&T TV Now ($55)
FuboTV ($60)
YouTube TV ($65)
Cartoon Network
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
CBS Sports Network
Yes
$
Yes
Yes
Cheddar
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Cinemax
$
$
No
$
CMT
No
$
Yes
Yes
CNBC
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
CNN
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Comedy Central
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Cooking Channel
$
$
$
No
Destination America
$
$
$
No
Discovery Channel
Yes
$
Yes
Yes
Disney Channel
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Disney Junior
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Disney XD
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
DIY
$
$
$
No
E!
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
EPIX
No
$
No
$
ESPN
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
ESPN 2
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
ESPNEWS
Yes
$
$
Yes
ESPNU
Yes
$
$
Yes
Channel
Hulu with Live TV ($55)
AT&T TV Now ($55)
FuboTV ($60)
YouTube TV ($65)
Food Network
Yes
$
Yes
Yes
Fox Business
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Fox News
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Fox Sports 1
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Fox Sports 2
Yes
$
Yes
Yes
Freeform
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
FX
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
FX Movies
Yes
Yes
$
Yes
FXX
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
FYI
$
$
Yes
No
Golf Channel
Yes
$
Yes
Yes
Hallmark
No
Yes
Yes
No
HBO
$
$
No
$
HGTV
Yes
$
Yes
Yes
History
Yes
$
Yes
No
HLN
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
IFC
No
$
Yes
Yes
Investigation Discovery
Yes
$
Yes
Yes
Lifetime
Yes
$
Yes
No
Lifetime Movie Network
$
$
Yes
No
Channel
Hulu with Live TV ($55)
AT&T TV Now ($55)
FuboTV ($60)
YouTube TV ($65)
MLB Network
No
$
$
Yes
Motor Trend
Yes
$
Yes
Yes
MSNBC
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
MTV
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
MTV2
No
$
$
No
National Geographic
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Nat Geo Wild
Yes
Yes
$
Yes
NBA TV
No
$
$
Yes
NBC Sports Network
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Newsy
No
No
$
Yes
NFL Network
No
No
Yes
No
NFL Red Zone
No
No
$
No
NHL Network
No
$
$
No
Nickelodeon
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Nick Jr.
No
Yes
Yes
No
Nicktoons
No
$
$
No
OWN
No
$
Yes
Yes
Oxygen
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Paramount Network
No
$
Yes
Yes
Channel
Hulu with Live TV ($55)
AT&T TV Now ($55)
FuboTV ($60)
YouTube TV ($65)
Science
$
$
$
No
SEC Network
Yes
$
$
Yes
Showtime
$
$
$
$
Smithsonian
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Starz
$
$
No
$
Sundance TV
No
$
Yes
Yes
Syfy
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Tastemade
No
$
Yes
Yes
TBS
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
TCM
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Telemundo
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Tennis Channel
No
$
$
Yes
TLC
Yes
$
Yes
Yes
TNT
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Travel Channel
Yes
$
Yes
Yes
TruTV
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
TV Land
No
$
Yes
Yes
USA Network
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
VH1
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Viceland
Yes
$
Yes
No
Weather Channel
No
$
Yes
No
WE tv
No
$
Yes
Yes
Viceland
Yes
$
Yes
No
Weather Channel
No
$
Yes
No
WE tv
No
$
Yes
Yes
Channel
Hulu with Live TV ($55)
AT&T TV Now ($55)
FuboTV ($60)
YouTube TV ($65)
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