Many are ditching cable television plans and switching to streaming services. A cheaper alternative to traditional cable TV, streaming subscription services like Netflix allow subscribers to watch what they want. A myriad of options is available. Take Fubo vs YouTube TV, for example. Which of these two is the best? Let’s compare and contrast them below.
Fubo vs YouTube TV: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Fubo | YouTube TV | |
|---|---|---|
| Launch year | 2015 | 2017 |
| Parent Company | None | |
| Channels | 225+ | 100+ |
| Streaming quality | 2160p (4K) | 1080p (2K) |
| Available bundles | Showtime + Starz + MGM+; Sports Plus with NFL RedZone; Fubo Extra; Latino Plus | Entertainment Plus bundle (includes HBO Max, SHOWTIME, STARZ) |
| Price per month (range) | $32.99-$94.99 | $34.99-$72.99 |
| Subscribers | 1.445 Million (2022) | 5 million (2022) |
| Not included | TNT, TBS, CNN, AMC, BBC America, BBC World News, IFC, We TV, Sundance | MLB Network, History Channel |
Fubo vs YouTube TV: What’s the Difference?
Now, you have a rough idea of how Fubo and YouTube TV compare. Let’s delve into their key differences. Specifically, we’ll look at the pricing, channels, and stream quality of both services. Not to mention what’s in the Fubo vs YouTube TV lineup.
Monthly pricing
Fubo and YouTube TV have different monthly plans. With this in mind, Fubo’s pricing starts at $32.99 for its Latino plan and tops out at $94.99 for its Premier plan. The other two plans are Pro, which goes for $74.99, and Elite at $84.99. YouTube TV has just two price points: $34.99 for its Spanish plan and $72.99 for its Basic plan.
Number of Channels
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Another area where both differ is their number of channels. Fubo has almost twice as many channels as YouTube TV, all for just $20 more a month! Even Fubo’s most basic English-language plan comes with more channels than YouTube TV — and the price difference is no more than $2 a month. Looking at the Spanish-language packages, the story is very much the same. Fubo’s Latino plan has over 50 channels, while YouTube TV’s Spanish plan has a little over 30.
Streaming Quality
Both streaming television services have pretty good streaming quality. However, Fubo’s happens to be better. YouTube TV offers live streaming content from 720p to 1080p, depending on the network. Their on-demand content is sometimes in 4K but not live. Fubo, on the other hand, does offer some live 4K content in addition to 4K quality in its on-demand library.
What’s Not Included
So far, you’ve seen what to expect from a Fubo vs YouTube TV subscription. Before you sign up for either, it’s good to know what you’ll be missing. Despite having more channels than YouTube TV, Fubo doesn’t feature the biggest television networks like TNT, TBS, CNN, AMC, BBC, and IFC. Comparatively, YouTube TV does not have the MLB Network and other sports channels that Fubo offers.
The History of Fubo
FuboTV Inc. — or simply Fubo — is one of the biggest names in the burgeoning streaming television market. This streaming service has an edge over some of its closest competitors. This edge comes from airing live sporting events on a local, regional, and national level. The overall selection of networks and events depends on a subscriber’s location. All the same, Fubo provides access to live games from popular sports leagues.
Fubo’s offerings range from the NFL to the NBA, the MLB to the MLS, and everything in between. This focus on sporting events is no gimmick, though. It’s been integral to Fubo’s business strategy since 2015 and is why they exist today. The founders wanted to provide access to live soccer games to those without a cable subscription. In 2017, the company shifted from this sports-centric model and roped in top cable networks and other hit channels.
Overall, FuboTV offers subscribers three subscription levels. The Pro tier allows access to around 150 channels, while the Elite tier has 215. The Premier tier tops out at over 225 channels. There’s also the Latino tier, with Spanish-language networks and channels. Fubo’s lineup has recently added channels from Scripps, Sinclair, Bally Sports, and more. While January brought a price hike across all tiers, the service continues to gain new subscribers worldwide.
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How YouTube TV Competes
On the other end of the Fubo vs YouTube TV debate, we have Google’s offering in the streaming television space. Starting as a simple experiment in five American cities in April 2017, YouTube TV expanded beyond New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. The trial run was a huge hit, providing Google the impetus to invest more in YouTube TV, considering Fubo’s success and the rise of similar services such as Philo and Sling.
With over a hundred live cable channels, a huge cloud DVR, and an enormous on-demand library, YouTube TV had officially staked its claim on the streaming television space. In the years after its launch, YouTube TV continued to grow in subscribers and channels, soon surpassing the 100-channel mark. With a starting price of only $39.99, a YouTube TV subscription seemed like a no-brainer to the millions joining the platform.
Before long, YouTube TV secured streaming deals with NBC, CBS, ABC, BBC, and other major networks. Combine this with the inclusion of ad-free YouTube Premium content, and Google seemed to have a true titan on its hands. YouTube TV continued contacting the most requested networks: Warner Bros. Discovery, Turner, MGM, and Lionsgate. Five years after launching, YouTube TV had hit five million subscribers. That’s well over four times the number Fubo has reported to date.
Fubo vs YouTube TV: 6 Must-Know Facts
- Fubo launched in 2015 as a soccer-focused streaming television service but has since expanded to include a wide range of sports, news, and entertainment channels and programming.
- YouTube TV has half the number of channels as Fubo but more top cable networks under its umbrella.
- Fubo does have far more sports channels than YouTube TV.
- YouTube TV and Fubo have deals with top television networks Disney, ViacomCBS, and NBCUniversal.
- Fubo and YouTube TV offer cloud DVR storage space for users to record live television content to watch later on demand. Both have user-friendly interfaces and smart features such as picture-in-picture and live guides.
- Google owns YouTube TV and is integrated right into YouTube’s website.
Fubo vs YouTube TV: Pros and Cons
| Pros of Fubo | Cons of Fubo |
|---|---|
| Four different packages | Expensive Premier tier ($100 monthly) |
| More affordable Spanish-language package than YouTube TV | No TNT, TBS, CNN, AMC, BBC America, BBC World News, IFC, We TV, or Sundance |
| Over 225 channels, including sports | Add-ons will increase prices even more |
| Watch or live stream in 4K quality. |
| Pros of YouTube TV | Cons of YouTube TV |
|---|---|
| Affordable base-level package | Not ideal for sports fans |
| More top cable networks | Fewer English and Spanish channels than Fub |
| Unlimited cloud DVR storage space for live recordings | Deletes DVR recordings after nine months |
| No contract or hidden fees |
Fubo vs YouTube TV: Which One Is Better? Which One Should You Choose?
When it comes to choosing Fubo vs YouTube TV, it’s definitely a close call. Fubo has more channels but expensive English-language packages. YouTube has fewer channels overall but more top channels than Fubo. YouTube TV is better for cable dramas, while Fubo is better for sporting events. The choice of one over the other comes down to your preferences. But for this comparison, we give it to Fubo as it has more channels, sports options, and better streaming quality.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash.
