FuboTV: Everything you need to know about the live TV streamer

An early question mark around streamers as they rose to prominence was how to handle sports content. Sports are traditionally live events that people want to enjoy in the moment, and sites like Netflix weren’t originally up to the task. Enter fuboTV and other streamers of its kind.

You still can’t really watch sports on Netflix, at least not live. Ditto for HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, and the like. But gone are the days of buying into services with a library of pre-recorded content. Those still exist, no doubt, but they’re no longer alone. FuboTV, much like Sling and others, is bridging the gap between the convenience of traditional streamers and the realities of live TV.

So, read on for everything you need to know about FuboTV, from sports to the huge variety of non-sports content you can get, how you can watch it, and how much it’ll cost you.

What is FuboTV?

FuboTV is a streaming television service available in the US, Canada, and Spain. While the service has a stated focus on live sports, it covers a lot of ground in other entertainment genres too.

As a streamer, FuboTV is remarkably close to a cable TV provider, primarily due to its focus on live, linear TV schedules, though with the ability to record live content to a cloud-based library, it also offers the convenience of other traditional streamers.

In its own words, FuboTV is “the world’s only sports-focused live TV streaming service with top leagues and teams, plus popular shows, movies and news for the entire household.”

Check out: The best streaming services for sports fans

Is FuboTV worth it?

FuboTV is priced like a cable package, and it effectively is just that, as far as content goes. That means you lose a lot of the à la carte qualities that have made cord-cutting so appealing to many.

You can currently pretty easily cobble together a small handful of streamers for a low price to fulfill a lot of your needs, and those can be a lot cheaper than FuboTV. But they’re also very different from fuboTV in virtually every way.

Check out: The best sports apps for Android

Whether FuboTV is worth it depends on a lot of your particular preferences. If you already have access to all the sports you want through a cable package, FuboTV is probably overkill. If you want access to a few cable channels to watch live because you’ve cut the cord and aren’t interested in most streamers, FuboTV might be exactly what you want, at a totally reasonable price.

Where is FuboTV available?

FuboTV is an American streamer, and its full catalog of content is available only in the US and US territories. Click here for a full breakdown of FuboTV content offerings for American subscribers.

The service is also available in Canada and Spain, but with more limited content offerings.

In Canada, the following FuboTV channels are available:

• beIN Sports
• beIN Sports en Español
• beIN Sports Canada
• BenficaTV
• Fight Network
• FuboTV Network
• GameTV
• MLB Network
• Paramount Network

And Spanish subscribers have access to the following:

• 24H
• Antena3
• Atreseries
• Clan
• Comedy Central
• La 1
• La 2
• La Sexta
• Mega
• MTV
• Nickelodeon
• Nick Jr.
• Neox
• Nova
• Paramount
• Teledeportes
• TVE Catalunya

How much does FuboTV cost?

FuboTV is available at a variety of price points in the US:

• Pro: 114 channels (with over 130 events in 4K), 1,000 hours of Cloud DVR storage, and 10 simultaneous screens at home (and two on the go) for $69.99/month.
• Elite: 157 channels (with over 130 events in 4K), 1,000 hours of Cloud DVR storage, and 10 simultaneous screens at home (and two on the go) for $79.99/month.
• Latino Plus CONMEBOL: 36 Spanish-language channels (over 100 sporting events, 250 hours of Cloud DVR storage, and two simultaneous screens for $32.99/month.

Add-ons are also available, like extra Cloud storage space, more screens, and individual premium channels.

FuboTV base plans are available for $20 in Canada ($15.95 US), with reduced channels, as outlined in a previous section. In Spain, a similarly reduced base plan is available as a monthly (4,99€/month), quarterly (11,97€/quarter), or yearly (35,88€/year) subscription.

Can I get FuboTV for free?

Unfortunately, FuboTV is pricey and doesn’t give you much room to get around paying full price. New subscribers get a free trial, but that only lasts seven days.

Otherwise, your only option is pretty much to find the individual channels you want and see if they’re available free elsewhere. That or hope your family or roommates are willing to share.

How can I sign up for FuboTV?

You can sign up for FuboTV directly on their website. You’ll get your seven-day free trial from there, and then pay for whichever plan you chose going forward.

Check it out by hitting the button below:

FuboTV through Roku

You also have the option of creating an account directly through Roku, if that’s what you prefer. One advantage is that if you decide to cancel during your free period, Roku lets you keep watching until your seven days are up.

If you cancel directly through FuboTV during the free trial, you’re cut off as soon as you cancel, so you have to time it more carefully.

What devices does FuboTV support?

FuboTV supports numerous devices and streaming platforms. Below is the full list, including version requirements:

• Amazon Fire TV — Android OS 5.0 (Lollipop) or higher
• Android Mobile — Android OS 5.0 (Lollipop) or higher
• Android TV/Google TV (Sony, Sharp, TCL) — Android OS 5.0 (Lollipop) or higher
• Apple TV — fourth generation or later, tvOS v13.0 or higher
• Browsers (Mac and PC) — Latest version of Chrome, EDGE, Firefox, or Safari
• Chromecast — Second generation or later, Chromecast Ultra
• Hisense — 2020 or newer
• iPhone/iPad/iPod — iPhone 6s or newer, iPadOS 13.1 or higher, iPod Touch Gen 7 or newer, iOS v13.0 or higher
• LG TV — 2018 or later, webOS 4.0 or higher
• Roku — Model 3700X and higher for full support
• Samsung Smart TV — 2015–2020 models
• Xbox One — Xbox One, Xbox One S, Xbox One X

While the FuboTV app is compatible with Samsung, LG, and Hisense smart TVs, as well as Xbox One, it is not supported on these devices in Canada at this time.

What can I watch on FuboTV?

FuboTV offers a huge range of local and national sports coverage from networks like ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, CW, and more.

Starter, Pro, and Elite subscriptions give you 114 channels each, along with over 130 live events in 4K. Or if you want Spanish-language content, you can opt for the lighter Latino Plus CONMEBOL subscription with over 30 channels.

Read: The best sports games for Android

While FuboTV bills itself primarily as a sports streamer, it’s important to note that the service is significantly bigger than that. Yes, it’s one of the few places to watch live sporting events. But it’s also a pretty hefty replacement for your standard cable package.

A Starter subscription includes channels like Syfy, Oxygen, IFC, Sundance TV, national Geographic, Disney Channel, Discovery, and Pop TV, among many others. None of those channels actually specialize in sports. That means that your FuboTV subscription doesn’t just have to be a sports top-up to go with your other streaming subscriptions (at $64.99, it would be a pretty pricey top-up). Instead, it really can function as your one-stop streaming service and a replacement for cable.

You can also record live programming to your Cloud DVR to watch at your convenience. The DVR will always record the entire live event, even if you just record partway in. And you can schedule a recording if you know ahead of time that you’ll miss it.

FuboTV vs Sling and others: Who’s the competition?

While the obvious competition for FuboTV is other streaming services, it’s worth mentioning that the service most closely resembles cable TV. Cloud DVR storage allows you to stream at your convenience instead of relying on linear broadcast schedules, but that’s already a common feature of the cable experience.

So, for cord cutters who still want more traditional channels, that’s the arena we’re in here.

On the streaming side, things get a little more complicated. The big streaming services out there haven’t really cracked live sports. Netflix, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, and the like have sports content. But it tends to be more of the sports documentary or biopic variety than what you get at FuboTV. They’re worthy competitors for FuboTV’s non-sports channels, but let’s focus on the sports side of things, since that’s fuboTV’s niche.

YouTube TV

YouTube TV is a great way to enjoy live channels, much like FuboTV. A standard subscription, which costs $72.99, includes major channels like CBS, Fox, ABC, Animal Planet, Comedy Central, Syfy, and NBC, as well as sports channels like ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS Sports Network, MLB Network, and more. You can also get add-on channels like Fox Soccer Plus, MLB.TV, NBA League Pass, and a dedicated sports bundle.

Sling TV

Sling TV, along with YouTube TV, is closest in spirit to FuboTV. The streamer specializes in live channels offered in bundles. It’s not sports-specific, but it includes ESPN, Fox, NBC Sports, NFL Network and more. Packages range from 32 to 51 channels, so we’re looking at a much smaller scale than fuboTV. But packages maxing out at $50/month also means a much cheaper experience. And with an HD antenna, you can stream local channels through Sling for free.

ESPN Plus

ESPN Plus offers live sports coverage of select live MLB, NHL, NBA, and MLS games, along with tons of other live sports events. ESPN Plus is also home to the UFC mixed martial arts fighting league in the United States. You can bundle it with Disney Plus and Hulu for a total of $12.99, making it much cheaper than FuboTV, though much more limited in scope (no local sports coverage, for example).

Hulu + Live TV

Hulu + Live TV is the Disney-owned streamer’s attempt at a cable-like experience, offering you over 75 live channels alongside the entire Hulu, Disney Plus, and ESPN Plus streaming libraries. That’s fewer channels than a FuboTV subscription, and the package isn’t sports-focused, so your mileage may vary. But at $75.99/month, you’re looking at a pretty comparable overall deal.

Amazon Prime Video channels

Amazon Prime doesn’t have a ton of sports content aside from the aforementioned docs and biopics. But it does play host to several channels — basically add-ons when you subscribe to the core streaming service. So, if you want access to sports but aren’t going for the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach at FuboTV, you can have ESPN, CBS All Access, PGA Tour Live, Sports Illustrated, MLB.TV, or other sports channels. Combined with films and TV, you’ll end up with a breadth of content, much like fuboTV.

DAZN

Depending on what sports you’re looking for, DAZN (pronounced “da zone”) could be a good alternative. With a focus on boxing, the global streamer carries live sports and sports-related content like docs and docuseries. It also costs significantly less than FuboTV, at $99.99 for a whole year.

Frequently asked questions

Q: What devices can I watch FuboTV on?
A: Amazon Fire TV, Android Mobile, Android TV/Google TV, Apple TV, Browsers (Mac and PC), Chromecast,  Hisense, iPhone/iPad/iPod, LG TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Xbox One.

Q: Does FuboTV offer 4K or HD streaming?
A: Customers with 4K/HDR compatible devices do have access to some programming in the more advanced format. The service is currently in BETA, so fuboTV does not guarantee the streaming quality. You can see an up-to-date 4K/HDR streaming schedule here.

Q: Can I stream on multiple devices or in different locations?
A: All plans include, at minimum, the ability to stream on up to three simultaneous screens.With the Elite family bundle plans, that can go up to 13 screens. Users can stream on multiple simultaneous devices in different locations anywhere (in countries where fuboTV is available), but only on one supported TV device at a time. Your access to local sports coverage will also shift to wherever you’re watching from.

Q: Do I need a certain internet speed to watch FuboTV?
A: Your minimum internet speed depends on the device you’re using. Smartphones can stream at lower resolutions, so they only require 3+Mb/s. Larger tablets and connected devices should be able to handle anywhere from 7 to 10+Mb/s for optimal video quality. And 4K streaming requires at least 25Mb/s.

Q: How do I cancel my FuboTV subscription?
A: Subscribers can cancel FuboTV anytime on the service website or in-app. Subscriptions are pre-paid monthly, so you will continue to have access to your account until the end of the pay period in which you cancel. If you cancel during your free trial period, your account will be cancelled immediately (unless you signed up through Roku, in which case, you will still have access throughout the duration of the free trial).