A promotional graphic for the Fubo Channel Store. (Courtesy image, supplied)
Fubo has launched a dedicated platform that allows subscribers of its sports-inclusive streaming television service to purchase access to third-party apps and services.
The platform, called the Fubo Channel Store (not to be confused with the similarly-named Roku Channel Store), will serve as a single destination for third-party services that are available to Fubo subscribers, billed jointly with their monthly pay TV membership.
The launch of the Fubo Channel Store comes one year after Fubo announced it would start selling standalone subscriptions to a handful of services, including NBA League Pass, Paramount Plus with Showtime and FanDuel Sports Network.
Of those three partners, NBA League Pass is no longer offered through Fubo — as part of the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) television rights deal with Amazon, the tech company’s Prime Video serves as the exclusive streaming access point for NBA League Pass — but Paramount Plus and FanDuel Sports Network are still available. Fubo has also expanded the number of direct subscriptions offered through the marketplace to include MGM Plus, Starz, Hallmark Plus and DAZN One, the company confirmed on Wednesday.
Unlike competing services like YouTube TV, Fubo doesn’t require streamers to purchase a subscription to their pay TV package in order to purchase access to a third-party app within its marketplace. Even better: If a customer buys a service that is associated with a linear offering (like Paramount Plus with Showtime), they’ll still receive streaming access to the cable networks or multiplex associated with that plan (like Showtime 2, Showtime Next and Showcase), even if they don’t pay for a regular TV plan. Streamers who opt to only purchase standalone apps through Fubo will also get access to a portfolio of more than 200 free, ad-supported channels, something typically reserved for its churned-out pay TV customers.
“At Fubo, we have always leaned into our proprietary tech stack to differentiate the user experience and solve consumer pain points,” David Gandler, the CEO of Fubo, said in a statement. “We hear consumers’ frustration with having to switch between multiple apps to access their favorite content. The Fubo Channel Store offers an aggregated and ingested experience for standalone plans, which include direct-to-consumer services, and delivers it to consumers through a single frictionless experience.”
Fubo serves north of 1.63 million subscribers, according to the company’s latest financial earnings report. The company does not offer insights into how many customers use its free, ad-supported streaming TV service.
