FuboTV Loses NBCUniversal Channels in Content dispute
New York, NY – FuboTV subscribers lost access to nbcuniversal‘s suite of channels this weekend as a carriage dispute between the two companies escalated, impacting live coverage of major sporting events including NFL’s Sunday Night football and Premier League matches. The blackout affects Fubo’s 1.63 million subscribers.
The dispute centers on financial terms for continued distribution of NBCUniversal’s networks. NBCUniversal stated it offered Fubo the same terms accepted by hundreds of other distributors, accusing Fubo of a pattern of dropping networks “at the expense of their customers.” Fubo has not publicly detailed its reasoning, but the loss of channels underscores a growing trend of content providers and streaming services clashing over costs and control in a rapidly evolving media landscape.
The immediate impact of the blackout meant FuboTV customers were unable to watch NBC’s college football programming, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers versus Los Angeles Rams NFL game, and several Premier League contests. While NBCUniversal suggested fans could access content via its Peacock streaming service, several Premier League games – including Chelsea’s match against Burnley and Leeds United’s game versus Aston Villa – were not available on Peacock, leaving fans without viewing options.
The situation sparked immediate backlash online. One X user wrote, “Woke up this morning at 5:30 to watch Chelsea play only to find out @Fubo no longer has Universal/NBC channels. Literally the only reason I pay for this service is to watch soccer games. time to cancel the subscription, I suppose.”
The dispute also raises concerns about potential disruption to NBC’s weekday NBA coverage if a resolution isn’t reached. This blackout follows a similar two-week dispute between Disney and YouTube TV, which concluded on November 14th with a new multi-year agreement restoring access to ESPN and ABC for YouTube TV’s approximately ten million subscribers.
