Review: Fubo Sports vs. YouTube TV
Fubo Sports is a relatively new name on the block in the world of streaming services, and it has quickly emerged as a popular option. After starting out as a platform primarily revolving around soccer, it has now adopted a whole host of new channels to make it a very enticing multi-channel platform.
Subscribers can now enjoy live sports, news and entertainment channels, easily being able to flick from channel to channel. In this article, we will break down Fubo's offerings and provide an in-depth look at how it stacks up against its competitors.
Overview
Fubo has done a fantastic job of evolving with the landscape of modern-day television. The world of streaming has taken over the industry, and Fubo gives you the best of both worlds. The platform allows you to stream a wide variety of different channels but presents them as you would expect to see a standard cable television offer. It meshes the two together very nicely.
The platform has developed to become more than just a sports-centric streaming service, but it still nails that aspect. In 2018, Fubo became the first live TV streaming service to utilize 4K video, setting itself apart from its rivals. It was the 2018 Soccer World Cup that benefited from the 4k treatment, but Fubo subscribers can now enjoy action from the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB in picture-perfect quality.
Fubo plays host to all of America’s biggest channels, including ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and ESPN, but it also lets viewers tune into local stations. If it’s the sports talk shows you’re after, you will find them on there as well.
Other available channels include The Disney Channel, SyFy, MSNBC, AMC and MTV. In total, there are 130+ basic channels provided in each of the English-language plans.
On the topic of plans and pricing, your options range from $74.99 for the Pro plan, up to $94.99 for the ultimate plan. The latter has 230 channels, which include SHOWTIME, News Plus channels and NFL Redzone. In comparison, the Pro Plan gives you 130 channels.
All the plans come with a very handy 1,000 hours of DVR and the ability to have 3 screens watching at one time. If you’re in your own home, that extends to 10 screens at one time. There are also add-on options, including AMC Premiere, EPIX, Pantaya and others at varying price options.
Fubo Sports Free Trial
In comparison to other streaming services, Fubo’s free trial is relatively short. It lasts just 7 days but gives you access to everything during that time. In order to sign up for the free trial, customers simply need to go to the Fubo website and find the ‘Start your free trial’ button. You will need to enter your card details to start the trial and will be charged as soon as it ends, however, you can cancel at any time during the free trial to avoid being charged. It is worth noting that if you cancel your free trial, you will lose access immediately, rather than at the end of the trial.
Comparison: YouTube TV vs. Fubo Sports
The debate between Fubo and YouTube TV is an interesting one. From a channel perspective, both platforms cover the main US channels such as FOX, CBS, etc., but Fubo has a much wider offering of 250+ channels in comparison to just 100 for YouTube. The biggest channel omissions for Fubo are TNT and CNN, whereas you won’t find MLB Network or HISTORY Channel on YouTube.
Pricing-wise, YouTube keeps it simple and offers a one-size-fits-all package at $72.99. Fubo’s basic package costs a similar price at $74.99, but customers can upgrade to the elite plan at $84.99 or the Ultimate plan at $94.99. These give customers more channels to choose from, with there also being an option to pay for extra add-ons on top.
YouTube gets the edge on DVR storage thanks to its unlimited allowance, but it is worth noting that your recordings will be deleted after nine months. Fubo allows you to have 1,000 hours of recording, but you can keep them as long as you want. Both services allow three people to stream at one time. On Fubo, this extends to 10 in your own home, and on YouTube, you can upgrade to six consecutive streams by adding a family group to your account.
From an availability standpoint, it is pretty even. Both services are available on the most popular devices, but YouTube’s list is slightly longer. You can watch YouTube TV on devices such as Vizio, Sharp and Samsung Smart TVs, which is not something that can be said about Fubo.
How to Cancel My Subscription
Fubo can be canceled by signing in, navigating to ‘My Account’ then ‘Subscription and Billing’ and selecting ‘Cancel Subscription’. At the point that you cancel your account, you will maintain access to the service until the end of the billing cycle. You won't be charged again.
Is Fubo Free with Amazon Prime?
Fubo is not free with Amazon Prime, however, fans are able to stream Fubo Sport Network, and a few other bits of Fubo content, through Amazon Freevee. This can be watched without a subscription. The only other way to watch Fubo content for free is through the free trial, but this will be followed by a full payment after 7 days.
Pros and Cons
The biggest positive for Fubo has to be the wide variety of channels available. 130+ channels come with the cheapest Pro Plan, and this increases to over 250 for the Ultimate Plan. This is considerably more than YouTube, which is around the 100-channel mark.
Fubo offers a very slick user experience as well, allowing you to scroll through streaming channels in the same way that you would with a cable network. You can easily navigate around sports, news and entertainment channels. The availability of 4k resolution is also a massive plus!
Whilst the choice of plans and add-ons does increase variety, it can result in Fubo being relatively costly. YouTube keeps it simple with a one-size-fits-all package, whereas you could easily get carried away and end up spending over $100 a month with Fubo.
Conclusion
On the whole, Fubo is a fantastic service. Whether you are after live sports, popular talk shows or even detailed weather reporting, you can get it on Fubo, along with everything in between. The flexibility on pricing means you can create your own bespoke package and the variety of sports channels should make fans of the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL particularly excited. Sports fans will never be short of something to watch with Fubo.
YouTube TV’s package is also interesting, but the fact that recordings are deleted after 9 months could be of annoyance to sports fans. Keeping hold of a big win year after year sounds like a good idea to me, and you can do that with Fubo, but not YouTube. The extra channels are just the cherry on top.
Author: Dan Anderson