TV Answer Man, I was thinking of subscribing to FuboTV but I don’t want to pay three months in advance. I read your story! Do you think they will go back to monthly payments? We can afford that by cutting our cable service out. — Christie, Duluth, Minnesota.
Christie, about 10 days ago, FuboTV replaced its monthly plans with quarterly plans. Since the multi-channel, live streaming service starts at $64.99 a month, that means you need to subscribe to a three-month prepaid package totaling at least $194.96.
However, FuboTV spokesperson Jennifer Press told The TV Answer Man that the switch to quarterly was “temporary.” I speculated at the time that Fubo was trying to stop people from subscribing for one month during the Olympics, and prior to the Super Bowl, and then cancelling when those big events were over. The Super Bowl was played on Sunday and the Olympics end this weekend.
Well, it seems that my educated guess was correct because Press told me this week that FuboTV is planning to return to monthly payments tomorrow. (February 17.)”
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“This particular experiment (the quarterly plan) is expected to conclude February 17,” she said via e-mail.
Update, February 17: FuboTV’s Press confirmed today that the quarterly plans would stop today.
I suspect the ‘experiment’ was not popular with consumers or FuboTV would have continued it indefinitely.
Why?
There are two obvious advantages to requiring a three-month advance payment: More cash flow and fewer subscriber cancellations. People would be less likely to cancel after a month or two because they would have already paid for three months.
But the quarterly requirement likely made many curious subscribers pause before signing up.
(Interestingly, FuboTV has occasionally still offered the monthly plan during the 10-day “experiment.” For example, the mobile version of Fubo.TV usually says the plans are quarterly, but the desktop edition usually still says monthly. While FuboTV has officially said the quarterly plans are the only ones available, it would seem the company did not want to risk alienating everyone in practice. Press has also said the quarterly plan change does not affect existing subscribers.)
Fubo.TV’s new quarterly plan offering:
FuboTV has previously experimented with quarterly plans with small groups, but the ongoing churn rate issue could have triggered a wider implementation this time.
Christie, hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvpredictions.com. Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
@tvanswerman
