Fubo Drops Popular Channels Amid Dispute with Warner Bros. Discovery

If you're considering subscribing to Fubo, you need to be comfortable missing out on some major channels.

The live TV streaming service recently dropped channels during a contract dispute with Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). And there's no sign that they'll be coming back any time soon.

This leaves customers who pay for Fubo, which is one of the more expensive live TV services, without access to some popular channels like HGTV and Food Network.

And, perhaps equally as frustrating, it appears as though Fubo is not issuing credits or lowering its subscription fees as a result.

Let’s take a look at what we know so far.

Which Channels Did Fubo Drop?

Let’s start with the bad news.

Fubo announced that it removed WBD-owned channels from its menu effective 5 p.m. on April 30, 2024.

This included some well-known channels that were featured on its Pro, Elite, Premier and Latino packages.

Here’s a list of some impacted channels:

• Magnolia Network
• Discovery Channel
• TLC
• HGTV
• Food Network
• Travel Channel
• Cooking Channel
• Animal Planet
• ID (Investigation Discovery)
• OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network)
• Motor Trend
• Science
• American Heroes
• Destination America
• Discovery Life
• Discovery Family
• Discovery Familia
• Discovery en Espanol

You may notice that prominent WBD-owned channels TBS, TNT and truTV are not mentioned.

That’s because Fubo did not have an agreement in place to carry those prior to this dispute. In fact, part of the reason there’s a dispute is the status of those channels and their sports broadcasts. More on that later.

Why Is This Happening and What Are They Saying?

You may be wondering: Why couldn’t Fubo and WBD come to an agreement prior to the expiration of their contract on April 30?

Well, it’s complicated.

In February 2024, Fubo filed a lawsuit against WBD and its partners (ESPN, Hulu and FOX) regarding an upcoming sports streaming service. Fubo's suit claims that the venture is an anticompetitive practice and an attempt to monopolize the market on live sports streaming.

And, as a part of its contract negotiations with WBD, Fubo has been trying to add TBS, TNT and truTV to its channel menu.

These channels are among the most popular on the market thanks to broadcasting live sports like NCAA March Madness, as well as regular season and playoff games from the NBA, NHL and MLB.

So, without access to these channels and a standalone streaming service targeting viewers with sports content from those channels in the works, Fubo seemingly has decided to cut all WBD channels and continue with its lawsuit.

Fubo issued a strongly-worded press release explaining its position in this dispute. Here's a snippet of that:

"Warner Bros. Discovery's refusal to offer Fubo standard market terms and packaging flexibility are more examples of the unfair and anti-competitive practices it and other vertically integrated media companies have imposed on Fubo for many years. These practices, outlined in our recent antitrust lawsuit filed against the joint venture companies, aim to monopolize the market, stifle any form of competition, create higher pricing for subscribers and cheat consumers from deserved choice. Fubo is taking action against these unfair market terms to avoid passing on these extra costs to consumers.

It is clear to us that Warner Bros. Discovery's actions hurt consumer wallets and limit their choice."

Warner Bros. Discovery responded to this press release with a message published by Variety:

"Our priority is to deliver the best content, at the best value, to our fans wherever they want to watch it. We have been and remain ready and willing to work diligently with Fubo to reach a fair market agreement. We proposed an extension of our current agreement, with no changes or price increases, that would allow Fubo to continue carrying these networks, and it is unfortunate that Fubo has decided to alienate their own customers in this way."

What Should You Do In the Meantime?

These two streaming companies appear set to battle things out for the long term. That leaves existing Fubo customers in a tough spot.

As of May 1, 2024, pricing for Fubo’s monthly packages remained the same in spite of the significant cut in channel availability.

This could leave customers without access to channels they enjoy. If you fall into that category, you may want to consider switching streaming services.

I review live TV streaming services for Team Clark, and I have a couple of suggestions for Fubo alternatives.

First, you could consider YouTube TV. At $73 per month, you'll find that it's slightly cheaper than Fubo and that it carries all of the WBD content you likely enjoy already. It also has TNT, TBS and truTV.

Another strong alternative is Hulu + Live TV. At $76 per month, you'll get popular live TV channels along with Disney+ and ESPN+ subscriptions included in the price.

Both YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV include unlimited cloud DVR storage and access to your local channels.

The major thing Fubo still has that those two services don't: Regional Sports Networks.

If you enjoy local NBA, NHL or MLB broadcasts via RSNs like Bally Sports South, Fubo and DIRECTV STREAM are your two live TV streaming options. Otherwise, you may have to look at cable, satellite or paying for the RSN directly (ex. Bally Sports app).

Will you keep Fubo in spite of this channel outage? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the Clark.com community.

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