FuboTV has added two Navio Networks-owned sports channels to its lineup of FAST services as part of a multiyear partnership.

The networks include Wired2Fish TV, which is dedicated to fishing enthusiasts, and CampusLore Sports, which focuses on college sports, according to Navio.

Wired2Fish TV features a lineup of live events and original content featuring fishing legends, entertaining personalities, celebrities, and popular anglers, while CampusLore Sports offers original daily live programming featuring pro athletes breaking down weekly games and news, interviews with professional athletes, game-day matchup simulations and replays of the best games in NCAA history, Navio said.

“We are thrilled to partner with Fubo to bring our highly regarded channels to their platform,” Navio Networks CEO Doug Neiman said in a statement. “Fubo has a powerful streaming-TV offering, with a strong emphasis on sports. We are confident that their subscribers will enjoy our top-notch fishing and college sports programming. We look forward to a long and successful partnership with FuboTV.”■

The CBS affiliate board has endorsed a new carriage proposal from Paramount Global that will keep affiliated stations’ feeds on Paramount Plus, Hulu Plus Live TV and YouTube TV and return them to FuboTV.

Affiliates were informed of the new agreement in principle Friday morning, according to a station executive. The proposed deal could head off a period in which relations between networks and affiliates could have turned stormy.

The affiliate board had called the previous deal offered by Paramount inadequate and nearly all large owners of CBS affiliates rejected it. Fubo has been running a national feed of CBS programming provided by Paramount.

Adding to the friction over streaming carriage of stsations by virtual multichannel video distributors (vMVPDs), Sinclair Broadcast Group’s ABC stations are currently not being carried by Hulu Plus Live TV because Sinclair does not like the terms agreed to by ABC, which like Hulu is owned by The Walt Disney Co.

Station owners will have to decide whether or not to opt into the new agreement with Paramount and the virtual multichannel video programming distributors. Because most of the biggest station owners are represented on the board, they are likely to opt in, a source said.

Also Read: CBS-FuboTV Flap Adds to Strains With Affiliates, Analyst Says

The new agreement runs for three years and covers sports fees and inventory units in addition to carriage of affiliates’ signals on the four vMVPDs. 

Hulu Plus Live TV, Sling TV and FuboTV ended last year with about 8.2 million subscribers, a still-growing portion of the overall 70.1 million pay-TV customers, according to Leichtman Research Group. LRG didn't count YouTube TV (which claimed to top 5 million subscribers last July) and DirecTV Stream because their companies don't break out their numbers. ■

FuboTV said it was hit by a criminal cyberattack on Wednesday that interfered with many subscribers being able to access their accounts during the World Cup semifinal match between France and Morocco.

The sports-oriented streamer said service was restored by Wednesday evening and the incident has been reported to law enforcement.

FuboTV also said it has hired Mandiant, an incident response firm, to help with its continuing investigation and response.

Also: Sinclair Says Cyberattack Resulted in $63 Million Ad-Revenue Loss

“FuboTV takes this matter very seriously,“ the company said in a statement. “Once we detected the attack, we immediately took steps to contain the incident and worked to restore service to all of our users as quickly as possible. Service was fully restored by last evening. We deeply regret the disruption caused by this incident in the meantime. Our primary focus currently is on ensuring that the incident is fully contained and that there is no threat of further disruption for any of our customers.”

Fubo TV said its investigation is at an early stage and it will provide updates when it has more information to share.

“The entire FuboTV team is absolutely dedicated to delivering an exceptional experience while protecting customer data,“ the company said. “We appreciate the trust our customers have in us and the opportunity to serve them every day. Although no company can ever be immune from the risk of cyber attacks, we assure you that we are working diligently with our outside cybersecurity experts to take all appropriate steps to remediate this incident and to prevent any similar incident from recurring in the future.” ▪️

Jettisoned by Comcast and Dish Network in 2019, regional sports network Altitude Sports has faced a tough climb in the Mile High City, where Comcast is the dominant cable provider. 

On Thursday, Altitude Sports -- the exclusive RSN home of the NBA's Denver Nuggets and NHL's Colorado Avalanche -- signed a carriage agreement with virtual pay TV service fubo TV, which will run the channel in 10 Rocky Mountain-centric and adjacent states: Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Northern New Mexico, Northeast Nevada and Southwest South Dakota.

The inclusion of a virtual MVPD to its carriage portfolio adds to distribution Altitude already has on Charter Communications linear cable outside the Denver region, as well as on DirecTV linear satellite and the IP-delivered DirecTV Stream. 

Notably, Altitude is also available via ATSC 3.0-based pay TV service Evoca, which also delivers AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, home of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies, in an ultra-skinny bundle of mainly broadcast channels and RSNs delivered for only $25 a month. 

RSN Finds a Way

Certainly, the ability to tie themselves to lucrative RSN contracts can make the difference between boon or bust for pro sports teams and collegiate athletic conferences. 

In Next TV's home market, the Los Angeles Dodgers have thrived on a 25-year, $8.35 billion contract signed with the erstwhile Time Warner Cable in 2013 for carriage on SportsNet LA, now owned by Charter Communications. The Dodgers, which just finished with an all-time National League best 110 wins, have made the postseason 10 consecutive seasons, with the team able to withstand sizable luxury tax penalties each year. 

Conversely, the lightly regarded Pac-12 network -- available only via fubo TV and Sling TV in the all-important Southern California market -- has been signaled out as catalyst for a decision made by lynchpin Pac-12 schools USC and UCLA to leave the conference in 2024 and head to the Big Ten, a league far more flush with RSN coin. 

In August, the Big Ten Network signed a new carriage deal that will net its 16 constituents more than $1 billion dollars a year. 

Conversely, the Pac-12 Network earned only $43 million in the COVID-impacted 2020 collegiate athletic season after generating $118 million in 2019. The RSN hopes to up its revenue with its own pending new TV deal, but that will likely look nothing like the largesse negotiated by the Big Ten or SEC. 

With national TV deals with Fox Sports and ESPN factored in, all told, the Pac-12's media efforts generated only $30 million for the conference's 12 programs in 2022.

It's no wonder that UCLA, which recently reported debt of $102.8 million for its athletic department, agreed to join USC in making a radical shift in conference affiliation. 

Big Clients Call for Creative Distribution

Owned by Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, Altitude Sports recently lost distribution of Major League Soccer's Colorado Rapids, after MLS signed a 10-year deal with Apple TV. 

Indeed, the tech giants pose a grave competitive risk for regional sports channels, as the pay TV ecosystem dwindles. Their distribution partners may not be willing to pay more, but their league and team constituents are beginning to have more TV revenue options. 

Next TV couldn't find program licensing information for the Nuggets, a perennial NBA playoff contender featuring back-to-back MVP winner Nikola Jokić, and the Avalanche, which are coming off the franchise's third Stanley Cup win in June. 

Suffice it to say that with both franchises at the top of their respective games, Altitude Sports needs to keep its head and revenue up. 

FuboTV said this weekend it will launch free pick’em games that will be integrated into its live TV stream and that viewers who choose to will also be able to turn their picks into real money bets via the Fubo Sportsbook.

“With this weekend’s launch, FuboTV will become the first live TV streaming platform to offer pick’em games integrated into the video experience with a direct gateway to an owned-and-operated sportsbook,” said Mike Berkley, chief product officer, FuboTV. “We believe interactivity is a key product differentiator for Fubo and, with these immersive experiences built into our live streaming product, we can offer the most personalized - and customizable - sports and entertainment television experience.”

The pick’em game challenges viewers to pick the winner of selected live sporting events each Sunday. Viewers can win points and compete with their friends. Viewers can play the game over their smart TVs, connected devices, gaming consoles, mobile apps and via fubo.tv.

The game also asks users if they want to place real money bets on their selections, using the same interface to engage with Fubo’s sportsbook.

FuboTV recently said that this integrated approach has led to stronger engagement with crossover users on average placing a greater number of bets and having higher retention rates on the sportsbook than sportsbook-only players.

“While other media companies are entering into external partnerships with betting companies, FuboTV and Fubo Sportsbook have combined both into one ecosystem,” said Scott Butera, president, Fubo Gaming. “The launch of pick’ems will further demonstrate FuboTV’s unique product integration and commitment to offering fans real-time immersive experiences across multiple touchpoints.”

The company intends to further integrate FuboTV and Fubo Sportsbook with the launch of additional product features, including live odds, this year, subject to regulatory approvals.  ■

Sports-oriented streaming TV service fuboTV said it can create custom audience segments for advertisers.

At its NewFront presentation Thursday, fuboTV said it uses its first-party data to track the behavior of target users based on the exact content they watch and the amount of time they spend with it anywhere on the platform.

Audiences can be defined as light, moderate or heavy viewers of specific sports, leagues or content genres.

FuboTV also said it can identify and reach purchase intenders using existing first-party addressable, contextual, behavioral and demographic targeting capabilities.

Also: NewFronts Agenda Set With ‘Stream On’ Theme for Event

“One of the key differentiators of CTV is the ability to target and reach desired audiences with precision in a brand-safe, big-screen environment,” said Diana Horowitz, senior VP, advertising sales, fuboTV. “FuboTV is equipped with more tools than ever before to help advertisers follow our audience across a wide range of premium content using our first-party addressable data. Not only can we target contextually and demographically, but we can also identify audiences based on viewership behavior and preferences to tailor campaigns to specific fans, no matter what type of content they’re watching.”

Fubo TV recently acquired Edisn.ai, an AI-powered computer vision platform that enables fuboTV to expand its ad tech capabilities and enable CTV e-commerce. ■

App downloads of the major virtual MVPDs were up 63% in June, most likely driven by heavy sports content and the run up to the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, according to a report by Evercore ISI media analyst Vijay Jayant.

YouTube TV again accounted for the largest slice of overall vMVPD downloads -- 44% -- but it was sports-centric FuboTV that had the biggest year-over-year gain in the segment --312%, according to Jayant. FuboTV was a close second to YouTube TV in terms of download share (33%), followed by Sling TV (18%) and AT&T TV (9%).

“Virtual MVPD app download trends improved vs. the prior few months likely driven by the strong sports calendar and lead into the Olympics,” Jayant wrote in his report, adding that May downloads rose 11% year-over-year, driven by FuboTV and YouTube TV. 

Also Read: Fubo TV CEO David Gandler Says VMVPDs Are Pay TV's Future Gateway 

“Similar to trends in prior months, YouTube continues to dominate in terms of vMVPD download market share followed by fuboTV, SlingTV, and AT&T TV,” Jayant wrote. 

June was a big TV sports month ratings-wise with the NBA Playoffs,  Major League Baseball, the U.S. Olympic Trials, the NCAA baseball tournament and UEFA European Championship all attracting strong ratings. 

The Summer Olympic Games are scheduled for July 23-Aug. 8 in Tokyo and NBCUniversal plans to air about 7,000 hours of content on its broadcast and cable networks as well as digital platforms including Peacock and Telemundo Deportes. 

For SVOD providers, the month was mixed. Netflix app downloads were down about 25% year-over-year, a slight improvement over May’s 30% decline. Showtime (up 132%), Disney Plus (up 114%) and HBO Max (up 63%) were the top performers in the sector, while Hulu rose 4% and Amazon Prime Video increased 1% in the period.

HBO Max, according to Jayant, dominated the SVOD space with strong releases of originals and library content in June. Its June 29 expansion into 39 Latin American and Caribbean countries should help drive downloads in July, he said. 

Newer entrants Discovery Plus (launched Jan. 4) and Paramount Plus (launched on March 4) were not included in year-over-year estimates. But Jayant wrote that month-over-month trends at Discovery Plus have been marginally weaker, with June 2021 downloads at about 1.2 million, fewer than the 1.5 million downloads in May. Paramount Plus’s ad-supported tiered launch June 7 helped push total downloads to 2.3 million in June, up from 1.4 million in May. 

Disney Plus was driven mainly by gains in Latin America, ahead of its planned August launch of the Star Plus general entertainment streaming service and a new promotion that will give new Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers Disney Plus for six months free. Existing Amazon Music Unlimited customers can get Disney Plus for free for three months. 

On the ad-supported side, Jayant estimated that app downloads were up 48% year-over-year in June, fueled by gains at Tubi TV (up 49%). Trends for Pluto TV were down about 3% for the month, but the ViacomCBS-owned streamer still holds the biggest share of download activity at 38%, according to Jayant. NBC Universal’s Peacock launched in April 2020, so year-over-year comps were not shown, but Jayant wrote the service has a 26% share of download activity, close behind Pluto. 

One month after the 2021 Major League Baseball regular season threw out its first pitch, virtual multichannel video programming distributors YouTube TV, Hulu Plus Live TV and Fubo TV are still without Sinclair Broadcast Group’s regional sports networks.

About 19 of Sinclair’s RSNs, rebranded under the Bally Sports Networks name this month, went dark to YouTube TV and Hulu Plus Live TV customers in the fall (Fubo TV dropped the channels in January 2020), but there were hopes that the networks would return in time for opening day of the Major League Baseball regular season. That didn’t happen. 

Pricing appears to be the reason for the decision to do without the channels, and apparently there has been little movement on either side regarding negotiations. 

In addition to the Bally Sports channels, YouTube and Hulu also passed on carriage for another RSN in which Sinclair owns a minority interest -- YES Network, TV home of the New York Yankees. Marquee Sports Network, owned by the Chicago Cubs and also minority-owned by Sinclair, reached a carriage deal with Fubo TV on March 31, but still doesn’t have a deal with YouTube TV and Hulu. 

Despite the impasse, the networks have enjoyed strong ratings, according to people familiar with the channels. The YES Network, which launched a new authenticated app in March, said its opening week TV audience was its largest in nine years.

YouTube dropped the Sinclair RSNs in September, Hulu in October and Fubo TV in January 2020. Back in March, Sinclair said that it was working toward an agreement with the streamers, but so far that hasn’t been successful. Sinclair did not return a request for comment. 

Sinclair is scheduled to release its Q1 financial results on May 5, so they are likely to field a few questions about the dispute on its quarterly conference call with analysts. 

According to sources familiar with the negotiations, Sinclair and the streamers haven’t met for months. And as the impasse continues, the prospect that a deal will be reached this baseball season, seems farther from reality. 

At the beginning of the month, sports consultant Lee Berke, CEO of LHB Media & Entertainment, guessed that maybe one of the streamers would reach a deal with the Sinclair RSNs, but not all of them. His reason: streamers just don’t see sports as the glue that holds the bundle together, like traditional distributors do. 

At the time, Berke said that regular season baseball would be the litmus test for the streamers. If their subscriber rolls weren’t materially affected by the loss of games, then they probably could do without the channels all-together.   

“It’s difficult to see all three of them coming back in,” Berke said a month ago. 

Today, his mind hasn’t changed. 

“I don't think it’s a good sign for the RSNs,” Berke said Friday (April 30) of the continued impasse. “That being said I don’t think a month alone will do it,” adding that baseball fans get more engaged later in the season as pennant races heat up. So there is still some time left to figure out the true impact of not carrying the networks. 

YouTube TV, Hulu and Fubo TV are not devoid of sports without the Sinclair RSNs. The vMVPDs carry ESPN and MLB Network, TBS and TNT that carry national baseball games. They just don’t have all the games of all the local professional teams, which are primarily carried on RSNs.

“They [the vMVPDs] are trying to see if that allows them to skate by,” Berke said. “You’ve got large numbers of younger fans that want to see these games through their virtual MVPDs. But if it’s not in numbers large enough or compelling enough to make them change their strategy then they are going to continue to go forward with it. The crunch point is going to be in the next couple of months.”

Sinclair purchased the RSNs in 2019 from The Walt Disney Co. for about $10 billion. Dish dropped the Sinclair RSNs in July 2019, shortly before it closed the Disney deal, and since then pay TV distributors have increasingly resisted big price increases from RSNs.  Although Sinclair has carriage deals for the RSNs with most major traditional distributors, the streaming channels, which have a younger audience, are starting to fight back.

Also Read: Sinclair RSNs Face ‘Tumultuous Period, Analyst Says 

YouTube TV has been in the news lately for a different battle with streaming box maker Roku. Today (April 30), YouTube let its Roku deal expire. 

Current YouTube TV customers would continue to be able to access their subscription via the Roku device. They just won’t be able to download the YouTube TV app from the Roku store, which would prevent new customers from signing up via Roku. Access to the free YouTube internet app would be unaffected. 

Also Read: Who Needs Roku? YouTube Already Dominates Worldwide Video 

Some fans have taken to social media to voice their displeasure, with several tweeting that the Roku impasse, coupled with dropping the RSNs could be the last straw. 

“Between this and losing the regional sports channels you used to have, and that I wouldn't have switched to you if you didn't have - Fix these problems or I'm gone,” said one YouTube TV user. 

So far, Sinclair doesn’t seem to have taken the usual path of a programmer in similar disputes -- asking fans to put pressure on the distributor either by calling and emailing the distributor or switching providers. The Bally Sports Twitter feeds are mainly focused on game highlights, although Sinclair did set up a dedicated microsite -- www.getmyhometeams.com -- in December that directs fans to other providers like AT&T TV, DirecTV, and Spectrum (depending on the market) to get access to the RSNs. Sinclair has had a reputation of being an aggressive adversary in distribution disputes -- look back on any of its major retrans battles for proof of that -- so its current stance is a bit unusual. 

Whether the current battle escalates or not, Berke said a lot of the controversies that have surrounded Sinclair and other RSNs are missing the larger point, which is the erosion of the current RSN model.

“The RSN model works extremely well when cable pay TV penetration is growing or is at least stable,“ Berke said. “But it was not set up to profitably handle the retrenchment of pay TV penetration. That is what needs to be addressed. And you address that by offering up your networks to as many platforms as possible. That’s easier said than done, but it’s imperative.”

fuboTV, the sports-oriented streaming service, said it made a deal to carry the Marquee Sports Network--the home of the Cubs--in the Chicago area.

Marquee Sports Network was launched before last season as a joint venture between the Cubs and Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns a string of other regional sports networks that are being rebranded as Bally’s starting April 1.

"We are thrilled to have fuboTV offering Marquee Sports Network to Cubs fans. fuboTV has prioritized live sports and we look forward to them carrying Cubs baseball all season long," said Marquee Sports Network General Manager, Mike McCarthy.

A key issue with Marquee’s launch last year was gaining a distribution deal with Comcast, which covers most of the Chicago area. A deal was worked out in time for opening day.

Also Read: RSNs Scramble for Streaming Deals as Opening Day Approaches

The fuboTV deal comes at a time when other virtual multichannel video programming distributors aren’t carrying regional sports networks. Dish Network, along with its Sling vMVPD are among those without RSN deals.

“As we kick off the hotly anticipated 2021 baseball season, fuboTV is thrilled to bring consumers Marquee Sports Network’s extensive coverage of the Chicago Cubs,” said Ben Grad, fuboTV’s senior VP, content strategy and acquisition. “The addition of Marquee Sports Network to our leading sports, news and entertainment portfolio makes fuboTV a great streaming choice for Cubs fans, as well as other Chicagoans looking to cut the cord.”

Also Read: Sinclair-Bally’s Deal Could Be a Sign of the RSN Times

fuboTV stock has gone on a wild ride over the past year. Some analysts have questioned the potential profitability of the vMVPD business, while others see promise in its strategy to get into the gaming and betting business. The company reported a $167.8 million loss in the fourth quarter.

“We’re excited to add Marquee Sports Network and their coverage of the Chicago Cubs to fuboTV,” said fuboTV’s co-founder and CEO David Gandler. “Our Fubo Gaming subsidiary is headquartered in Chicago, and the midwest market, particularly Indiana and Iowa where we recently closed market access agreements, will be a key cluster for our gaming strategy in the future.”

With the baseball regular season fast approaching -- Opening Day is officially April 1 -- several regional sports networks are facing deadlines to hammer out deals with over-the-top players and streaming services, but according to some observers, they shouldn’t hold out too much hope of landing a deal by the first pitch. 

Satellite TV giant Dish Network and its OTT arm Sling TV, have set an April 1 deadline for dropping three NBC Sports RSNs --  NBC Sports California, NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports and NBC Sports Bay Area. Dish already dropped the remaining NBC Sports channels -- NBC Sports Chicago and networks in Philadelphia, Boston, and the Pacific Northwest -- in 2019. If the recent blackout threat holds, Dish and Sling TV customers will miss baseball from the San Francisco Giants and Oakland A’s, hockey from the Washington Capitals and San Jose Sharks, and basketball from the Golden State Warriors and Washington Wizards. 

“As of 4/1/2021, NBC Regional Sports Networks will no longer be on SLING. We are committed to providing the best value with the flexibility our customers deserve and, unfortunately, we were unable to come to an agreement on those terms,” Dish said in an email to customers, according to The Streamable. 

Also Read: Sports and OTT: Streaming Could Squeeze the Last Vestige of Appointment TV 

Pricing is the main culprit in the failure to reach a Dish deal. Dish Network chairman Charlie Ergen has battled with programmers -- particularly sports programmers - for years over what he believes are exorbitant fees. If Dish drops the NBC Sports networks it will be totally devoid of RSNs, having dropped others like MSG Network decades ago.    

Ergen has said he has nothing against sports, but it’s evident that most pay TV customers don’t watch them and in turn don’t want to pay for them.

“I think you’ve got to change that model,” Ergen said of RSNs on Dish’s Q3 earnings call in November, adding that the value of regional sports to his customers was “overrated.”  

Also Read: Comcast’s Xfinity Flex Adds MLB.TV

While most RSNs have managed to hammer out agreements over the past couple of years with traditional distributors, the failure to launch with streamers should be especially troubling. RSNs like YES Network and Sinclair Broadcasting Group’s Fox Sports Networks (rebranding as Bally Sports on March 31) still don’t have deals with the likes of Sling TV, FuboTV, Hulu Live + TV and YouTube TV (although YES recently agreed to stream 21 Yankees games on Amazon Prime Video). Streaming services are supposed to be the future -- it’s the way all the kids are watching content today -- and failure to land carriage could hurt the networks in the long run. 

According to The Streamable, AT&T TV is the only OTT service provider that offers access to every RSN. But AT&T TV is priced at about $84.99 per month, making it eerily close to the traditional TV package that most youngsters abhor.

While distributors are trying to find programming that people are compelled to watch, and sports is still a ratings grabber, it doesn’t always justify the cost. RSNs have been under fire for their pricey affiliate fees and operators have begun to push back.

Also Read: Pluto TV Winds Up to Launch MLB Channel

Sports consultant Lee Berke, president and CEO of LHB Media & Entertainment, said the current stance by streamers harkens back to their early days. When streamers like Hulu Live and YouTube TV launched, they avoided RSNs because of their high price. The turning point was in 2016 when Sling TV agreed to carry some Fox RSNs. 

Now that most of the vMVPDs have national deals with sports networks like ESPN and FS1, local broadcast deals that also include games and out-of-market packages with several leagues, the strategy has shifted. 

“I think they are trying to see if they can get by without the RSNs,” Berke said of the streaming services, adding that the start of the MLB season could be the moment of truth. 

“That’s the crunch point,” Berke said. “Will the overwhelming number of games that are being offered up by the league cause enough grief with the streamers to say they’ll come back in and strike a deal.” 

In the past many of these deals with traditional MVPDs were done literally seconds before the first pitch of the regular season, mainly because ultimately those distributors realized that sports was the glue that held the bundle together. Streamers don’t feel the same way.

“Maybe one of them will,” Berke said on the possibility of a last-minute streaming RSN deal. “It’s difficult to see all three of them coming back in.” 

Unlike the dynamic between MVPDs and RSNs, streamers seem to hold the advantage, at least for the short term. Berke pointed to Minnesota Twins president Dave St. Peter, who complained recently that fans on his Twitter feed are frustrated they can’t see games on Fox Sports North because the RSN doesn’t have a streaming deal, over which the team has no control. The RSN is available through a traditional pay TV subscription. 

"I don't enjoy going to my Twitter account as often as I used to because there are some people who are taking it out on me," St. Peter told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "That's OK. I've got a thick skin. Look, life is hard in a lot of cases and people want to be able to watch their teams. I don't think that is an unrealistic or unfair expectation from our fans." 

That should be a wake-up call to both streamers and traditional MVPDs.

“People who are on his [St. Peter’s] Twitter feed are relatively younger and tech savvy,” Berke said. “They could watch Twins games on Comcast or Spectrum or whatever on a linear pay TV service, but that’s not part of who they are anymore. They stream. So if they’re not getting it as part of Hulu or YouTube TV, from their standpoint they can’t see those games.” 

While Berke added that a big enough drop in subscribers could force the streamers to the table, eventually the model will have to shift to direct-to-consumer. Already a few RSNs have set the stage for such an offering. Earlier this month, YES Network debuted a dedicated streaming app that offers a 24/7 feed of the network, including live games from the New York Yankees, Brooklyn Nets, NYFC and New York Liberty. Viewers still need to authenticate through their pay TV subscription to see the programming, but that could easily change in the future. Sinclair has said it plans to launch a DTC app next year. 

Berke added that direct-to-consumer should be the goal for RSNs and distributors alike.

"From a streamers standpoint, from a network standpoint from an RSN standpoint, you have to be able to say, 'I’m going direct-to-consumer,'" Berke said. “And by the way, when you’re negotiating with Comcast, they’re going direct-to-consumer as well. We’re trying to defend the bundle, meanwhile we’re doing everything possible to undercut it. But that’s fair enough, that’s what they should be doing. That’s the way media technology works.”

He added that the shift to streaming is in part being done because of necessity. Pay TV subscribers are declining at an accelerated rate that doesn’t seem to be slowing. 

“There’s a reckoning that is coming to pass for every network,” Berke said. “You’re seeing the strategies being laid out with all the streamers and how they are laying out programming, how they're categorizing it, how they’re pricing it, how they’re producing content, sports entertainment and news. But when it comes to sports in particular, when it comes to the RSNs in particular, they are going to have to make those moves in the next few years, and they are going to have to start preparing for it now.”

Sports-oriented streaming service fuboTV said it acquired Balto Sports as the first part of its strategy to move into the online sports betting market.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Balto helps fans organize and play fantasy games. FuboTV said it plans to use Balto’s automated contest software--and well as its own technology--to create a free-to-play gaming offering. The game will be a gateway to sports wagers.

The Balto staff will be joining FuboTV to help engineer the company plans.

“The acquisition of Balto Sports will enable us to build a first class, free to play experience that brings consumers the best games around live sports,” said fuboTV CEO David Gandler. “From there, we see a natural progression to layer on real money wagering in regulated markets complementing fuboTV’s live streaming video for a highly engaging user experience within our platform. We will be strategic in our approach to wagering as we consider and evaluate different opportunities and will adjust our plans accordingly. We’re excited to launch sports wagering, integrate it into our core offerings and deliver what we believe will be a truly groundbreaking live TV streaming platform to consumers.” 

FuboTV announced its plans to move into betting when it announced third quarter earnings.

“We believe there are significant synergies between consumers who enjoy wagering and our subscribers who enjoy streaming live sports, creating a flywheel opportunity. As we’ve previously expressed, one of our goals with wagering is to expand our total available market (TAM) by developing another important revenue stream for fuboTV, as we are doing with our growing ad sales business,” he said.

FuboTV said it intends to list its stock on the New York Stock Exchange and has launched a public offering of 15 million common shares.

The offering price is expected to be $11 per share.

In August  fuboTV, which merged with Facebank Group in April, reported losing $100 million in the second quarter. Revenue rose 53% to $44.2 million as users of its virtual pay-TV service increased by 47% to 286,000.

Evercore ISI is acting as the lead book-running manager for the proposed offering. BMO Capital Markets Corp., Needham & Company and Oppenheimer & Co. are acting as additional joint bookrunners for the proposed offering. Roth Capital Partners and Wedbush Securities are acting as co-managers for the proposed offering.

Despite the shutdown in sports and a very tough advertising environment, fubo TV is expecting to follow up a blockbuster 2019 with a strong first quarter as consumers flock to streaming video.

In its first financial disclosure since merging with publicly held FaceBank Group, fubo TV said that its revenue increased 96% to $146.5 million in 2019, powered by growth in its paid subscriber base, ad sales and user engagement.

For the first quarter, the company expects total revenue to be up more than 75% compared to the prior year.

Subscription revenue was up 90% to 133.3 million in 2019 and the company sees that rising by 70% in the first quarter.

Ad revenues were up 201% to 12.4 million in 2019 and the company said it expects the first quarter to finish with a 120% increase.

Going forward, those numbers might be hard to sustain, especially without live sports.

“Sports programming lends itself to advertising, and we also insert ads into other content” said fubo TV co-founder David Gandler, the CEO of the combined company. “Although COVID-19 is significantly impacting advertising spend, we believe that advertisers will continue to shift budget allocations towards streaming and away from legacy TV as streaming provides higher ROI, better targeting and a more desirable, younger demographic than legacy TV.”

Fubo TV said its user base was up 37% last year to 315,789 paid subscribers. Those users streamed 298.7 million hours of content in 2019, up 210%. Average revenue per user increased 42% to $53.80 in 2019.

Fubo noted that instead of focusing on soccer and other sports, it has expanded to be a cable replacement product as a virtual MVPD, diversifying its value to subscribers.

Related Mayweather in Deal for Virtual Boxing on fuboTV

“Like everyone, we look forward to the return of live sports both in the U.S. and internationally,” the Gandler said. "We are already seeing the return of sports without spectators in some countries, and professional sports leagues as well as collegiate programs in the U.S. are beginning to outline their plans publicly. We believe that this trend will continue which will tap into pent-up demand for consumers to view their favorite teams and leagues through streaming platforms. As we saw with last week’s enormous viewership for the NFL draft and the NBA’s announcement to resume practices, consumers are hungry for sports content.”

Gandler said that in 2020, the company will be expanding into original content production and is focused on enhancing its content portfolio, innovating and personalizing its product offering and expanding internationally.

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“We believe that we are at the very early stages of our growth and that we are at an inflection point in the TV industry where streaming has begun to surpass linear in several key areas, including content variety, flexible access and cost savings to consumers,” Gandler said. "While the future is unknown as the world grapples with the ongoing impact of the pandemic, we are optimistic and believe that both as a business and a society we will emerge stronger than ever before.”

Having marketed itself as a virtual MVPD focused on sports programming, start-up fuboTV announced an important acquisition Wednesday, Turner Networks.

The deal with Turner’s corporate parent, AT&T and its newly christened WarnerMedia division, brings TNT, TBS, CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, truTV, TCM and HLN to fuboTV’s $45-a-month base package. Boomerang and CNN International are available in fubo’s $50-a-month Extra package, which includes more than 90 channels.

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With the addition of TNT and TBS comes national coverage of the NBA, Major League Baseball, pro golf and NCAA March Madness.

The fuboTV base tier has now grown to include 75 channels. Still missing, of course, is a deal with Disney for the most expensive channel in the bundle, ESPN and its associated networks.

“With today’s launches, fuboTV is hands down the best choice for fans to stream the live sports, entertainment and news programming they demand,” said Ben Grad, fuboTV head of content strategy and acquisition. “Adding Turner Sports’ world-class programming builds upon our heritage in soccer while expanding our strong sports offering with more MLB, NBA, PGA and college sports. Plus, the addition of Turner’s iconic news, entertainment and kids brands will continue to drive engagement with viewers, while reinforcing our commitment to offering a premium, high quality cable replacement.”

FuboTV’s latest programming expansion comes after the start-up announced a $75 million funding round in April, led by AMC Networks and 21st Century Fox. 

fuboTV, an OTT TV service that’s been focused on sports programming, has introduced a broader-focused and pricier package that offers more than 80 channels for $49.99 per month.

The new Fubo Extra tier, offered for $19.99 for the first month following a seven-day free trial, expands on the baseline package and features channels such as BabyTV, BBC World News, Cooking Channel, DIY Network, Game Show Network, INSP, Sony Movie Channel, Revolt, and Stadium, as well as People TV and music nets from XITE.

The base package, now called Fubo and formerly called Fubo Premier, starts at $44.99 per month. Both tiers feature a cloud DVR service and two streams. Fubo TV also offers premium cloud DVR option and a way for subs to purchase an additional stream.

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fubo TV subs “have been asking for additional options and more premium content, and Fubo Extra meets this demand by featuring everything in our base Fubo package, plus more lifestyle, entertainment, news, kids and sports content, movies and music videos, all for less than $50,” Ben Grad, fubo TV’s head of content strategy & acquisition, said in a statement.

fubo TV is also adding the new option amid growing competition in the OTT TV sector that includes Hulu, YouTube TV, Sling TV, DirecTV Now, and PlayStation Vue.

Other channels new to the service via the Fubo Extra package include BBC World News, Cooking Channel, DIY Network, and GSN.

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fubo TV, which announced having more than 100,000 subs as of last fall, also sells several add-on packages, including Adventure Plus, Fubo Latino, International Sports Plus, Sports Plus or Showtime, among others. Fubo TV subs with the Sports Plus package also get Stadium and Stadium Plus. 

fuboTV, the sports-oriented virtual MVPD, notched a record-breaking number of daily trials Sunday amid Super Bowl LII between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots, company co-founder and CEO David Gandler told staffers in a memo.

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Per the memo, obtained by Multichannel News, fuboTV also saw more than 150,000 total viewers with average concurrent per minute streams coming in at just below 60,000 during Super Bowl Sunday.

fuboTV announced last October that the service had eclipsed 100,000 subscribers, but has yet to provide an updated sub count.

fuboTV, the exec added, saw 57% of viewing take place on TV-connected devices, and that the service turned in a record low buffer rate of 0.49% from 6 p.m. – 11 p.m. ET.

Heading into the weekend, fuboTV said it added 23 additional local NBC stations, expanding its coverage from 51% to 70% of U.S. households. That compared to its local Fox coverage (75%) and CBS coverage (63%).

As TV ad buying shifts to audience-based models, a new class of over-the-top TV distributors such as Sling TV, fubo TV, DirecTV Now, YouTube TV and Hulu are in a better position than their traditional pay TV counterparts, according to a top industry ad executive.

“With that audience-based buying model, we have to recognize that the consumer is in control, that they’re going to be choosing what sort of content they want and on what terms they want to consume those options,” Gabe Greenberg, CEO and cofounder of GABBCON (Global Audience Based Buying Conference and Consultancy) told Next TV just ahead of the company’s May 16 Audience-Based Buying Summit in Chicago.

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“We are very much in an infancy stage, but they are absolutely moving in a way that they can put themselves in a pole position to control the future of television,” Greenberg said of the virtual MVPDs, several of which are attached to long-established cable and satellite-TV providers.

Sling TV just made a big move toward audience-based buying by making premium ad inventory available programmatically, using real-time bidding, through SpotX, a video ad-serving platform that also allows sponsors to target consumer segments such as “auto intenders,” who are in the market for a new car, or would-be vacationers.

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Sling TV’s new system through SpotX also has hooks into several demand- side platforms, including Adobe, AOL, AppNexus, BrightRoll, DataXu, Google DBM, MediaMath, The Trade Desk, Turn, VideoAmp and Videology.

Greenberg said the changes occurring in the TV world are like those affecting the automotive market, where car makers are more eager to sell directly to consumers and are questioning the value of their dealer relationships.

Legacy MVPDs are in a position to participate in this shift, but Greenberg questions whether or not they are moving quickly enough to seize the opportunity. Exceptions to that, he said, include Dish Network (the company behind Sling TV) and Comcast, which could capitalize on this trend with its cloud-based X1 video platform.

But others could be fearful of disrupting their legacy businesses. “Their own legacy politics and internal hurdles are impeding their ability to grow and change,” Greenberg warned.