Subscribers of sports activities streaming service Fubo TV have misplaced entry to channels owned by NBCUniversal within the newest TV distribution dust-up.
Fubo blasted NBCUniversal for its stance throughout collapsed contract negotiations, leading to a blackout of NBCUniversal channels simply days earlier than Thanksgiving when scores of viewers hunker down for turkey and soccer. NBC is about to broadcast the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Nationwide Canine Present and Thursday evening’s NFL sport that includes the Cincinnati Bengals battling the Baltimore Ravens. The occasions additionally will stream on Peacock.
The blackout, which additionally contains Bravo, CNBC and Spanish-language Telemundo, impacts Fubo’s almost 1.6 million prospects.
The dispute comes a month after NBCUniversal’s rival, Walt Disney Co., acquired the controlling stake of Fubo and folded the smaller sports-centric providing into Disney’s Hulu + Stay TV. (Hulu + subscribers nonetheless have NBCUniversal channels accessible as a result of they’re coated by a separate distribution contract.)
Fubo prospects might additionally miss NBC’s broadcast of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
(Eduardo Munoz Avarez / Related Press)
In its Tuesday assertion, Fubo alleged that NBCUniversal had refused to present Fubo leeway to supply only a few of its channels — fairly than its total portfolio. Fubo is seeking to management prices and designed its product to be a slimmed-down model of a cumbersome bundle — however one with a heavy complement of sports activities networks.
Fubo additionally took situation with NBCUniversal negotiating on behalf of the cable channels that NBCUniversal plans to solid off in January as a part of a company cut up.
Legacy cable channels together with MS Now (previously MSNBC), Syfy, CNBC, USA Community and Golf Channel can be type the brand new publicly traded firm, Versant.
“Fubo offered to distribute Versant channels for one year,” Fubo mentioned in its assertion, including that it views most of these networks as “not being worth the cost.”
“NBCU wants Fubo to sign a multi-year deal – well past the time the Versant channels will be owned by a separate company,” Fubo mentioned. “NBCU wants Fubo subscribers to subsidize these channels.”
NBCUniversal, owned by cable and broadband big Comcast, countered that it had provided Fubo related phrases to these contained in offers struck with different pay-TV distributors — however Fubo balked.
“Unfortunately, this is par for the course for Fubo,” NBCUniversal mentioned. “They’ve dropped numerous networks in recent years at the expense of their customers, who continue to lose content.”
The Nov. 21 blackout got here one week after Disney resolved a separate, high-profile dispute with Google’s YouTube TV. That dispute, which resulted in a two-week blackout of Disney-owned channels, together with ESPN, for about 10 million YouTube TV prospects, hinged on price will increase sought by Disney.
The 2 corporations additionally tussled over YouTube TV’s want to supply the ESPN streaming app to its prospects at no additional price.
They reached a compromise, and YouTube got here away with authorization to offer some ESPN streaming content material.
In September, YouTube TV averted an analogous blackout of NBC channels by making a deal simply hours earlier than the deadline.
Disney acquired 70% of Fubo TV in October 2025.
(Justin Sullivan / Getty Pictures)
Fubo pointed to NBCUniversal’s latest offers with YouTube TV and Amazon Prime Video, which permits these corporations to supply NBC’s streaming app Peacock as a part of their channel shops. Fubo alleged that NBC refused to present Fubo the identical rights.
“Fubo is committed to bringing its subscribers a premium, competitively-priced live TV streaming experience with the content they love,” Fubo mentioned. “That includes multiple content options, including a sports-focused service, that can be accessed directly from the Fubo app. We hope NBCU reconsiders their stance, or we’ll be forced to move forward without them.”
