Subscribers to the sports-focused streaming service FuboTV have lost access to all NBCUniversal channels following the collapse of contract negotiations. The blackout affects nearly 1.6 million customers just days before the Thanksgiving holiday, blocking access to key events like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the National Dog Show, and the NFL game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens. The affected channels include NBC, Bravo, CNBC, and Telemundo, though the events will also be available on NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming platform.
Fubo has publicly criticized NBCUniversal’s negotiating position, stating the media giant refused to allow a more flexible channel package. The streaming service, which aims to offer a streamlined alternative to bulky cable bundles, sought to avoid carrying NBCUniversal’s entire channel portfolio to control costs.
A key point of contention involves channels that NBCUniversal plans to spin off into a new publicly traded company, Versant, in January. These include networks like MS Now (formerly MSNBC), Syfy, CNBC, and USA Network. Fubo stated it offered a one-year deal for these channels, which it views as not “being worth the cost,” but claimed NBCUniversal insisted on a multi-year agreement that would extend well beyond the spin-off. “NBCU wants Fubo subscribers to subsidize these channels,” Fubo said in a statement.
In response, NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast, asserted that it offered Fubo terms comparable to those accepted by other distributors. “Unfortunately, this is par for the course for Fubo,” the company stated. “They’ve dropped numerous networks in recent years at the expense of their customers, who continue to lose content.”
Fubo also alleged that NBCUniversal refused to grant it the same rights provided to competitors like YouTube TV and Amazon Prime Video to offer the Peacock streaming app within its service.
This dispute is the latest in a series of high-stakes carriage battles between content providers and distributors. It follows a recent two-week blackout of Disney-owned channels, including ESPN, on Google’s YouTube TV, which was resolved after negotiations over fee increases. YouTube TV also narrowly avoided a blackout of NBC channels in September by reaching an agreement just before its deadline.
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