FuboTV — the fourth-largest live TV streaming service in the U.S. — today announced that it’s doing what a good many folks have been doing for some time now. It’s dropping the “TV” from its name and shifting its consumer-facing products to “Fubo.” And because you can’t change your name without telling anyone, it’s enlisted the help of NBA Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett and former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez in an ad campaign to let everyone know.
The new branding will roll out across the company’s apps and other products in the coming months.
“FuboTV has grown in size and scope, with multiple brands under our global umbrella, since we launched our core cable TV replacement product in 2015,” David Gandler, co-founder and CEO of Fubo, said in a press release. “Alongside our continued growth, our consumers have affectionately shortened our name to Fubo and we feel that name represents the premium media brand we are today. We’re building on this momentum with an updated visual identity and new ad campaign, created in partnership with Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort, to continue to drive profitable growth as we head into baseball season.”
Fubo closed out 2022 with 1.445 million subscribers, up 29% year over year. By comparison, YouTube TV leads the space with more than 5 million subscribers (it doesn’t give regular updates), and Hulu With Live TV ended 2022 with 4.5 million subscribers. Fubo’s closest competitor in terms of subs remains Sling TV, which reported 2.41 million subscribers at the end of 2022.
Fubo began its life with a sports-heavy theme. And that continues with a channel listing and pricing that’s competitive with the likes of YouTube TV. And like the Google-owned streamer, Fubo also has some live content available in 4K resolution — and without having to pay extra for it. Fubo’s packages start at $70 a month and range up to $100 a month. The service is available on every major streaming platform, as well as on phones, tablets, and in web browsers.
The new Fubo ad campaign is led by Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort Productions and is part of a multiyear partnership that also will see the launch of the Maximum Effort Channel on Fubo.
