fuboTV reports viewed content up 200% YoY
July 12, 2019
fuboTV, the US OTT subscription service, has reported that its users watched over three billion minutes of programming on the platfrom during Q2, a nearly 200 per cent spike over 2018, as cord cutters embraced the live TV streaming service’s recently expanded programming offerings and innovative product features including 4K streaming.
Engagement across all fuboTV platforms (connected TVs, mobile, web) saw huge annual growth in June 2019 vs June 2018. Time spent (hours per subscriber) on fuboTV in June spiked 137 per cent over prior year. fuboTV users that subscribe to all major channels (fubo Standard + fubo Extra packages) spent 142 hours on the platform in June 2019.
Connected TV usage continued to be the largest driver of overall viewership as subscribers migrated to bigger screens and increasingly depend on fuboTV as a cable replacement product. Nearly 90 per cent of hours watched were on connected TVs (CTVs) in June 2019 vs. 67 per cent in June 2018.
Broken down further, hours spent on CTVs by subscriber increased 195 per cent in June over prior year. More impressively, fuboTV users that subscribe to all major channels (fubo Standard + fubo Extra packages) watched 155 hours on these devices in June.
Entertainment content was the most watched programming category as fuboTV, which launched in 2015 as a soccer streaming service, continues to evolve into a leading cable replacement for the entire family. Entertainment programming accounted for 42 per cent of content watched in June, which doubled from 20 per cent in June 2018. Entertainment was followed by sports (38 per cent) and news/talk (20 per cent, which nearly doubled from 12 per cent YoY). In the past year, fuboTV has added networks from Turner and Viacom among others. Additional Discovery channels were recently announced and will be added shortly.
In addition to a broader programming offering, product innovation and a premium viewing experience has powered fuboTV as it continues to capture market share from traditional cable TV providers as well as streaming services owned by the world’s biggest media and technology companies (Dish’s Sling TV, AT&T’s DirecTV Now, Google’s YouTube TV, Disney’s Hulu with Live TV).
Fubo was the first – and still only – virtual MVPD to offer streams in 4K HDR, which it launched in June of last year. The company was also the first to launch “dynamic discovery” – an interface through which subscribers can browse live entertainment, news and sports programming via an in-progress preview directly on the home screen and seamlessly click to full video.
On the business front, fuboTV launched dynamic ad insertion in January 2018 after several months of testing.
“With our subscribers watching over three billion minutes of programming last quarter, fuboTV’s expanded content offering and our industry-leading commitment to a premium viewing experience has clearly resonated with consumers,” said David Gandler, co-founder and CEO, fuboTV. “This is great news not only for fuboTV but also for the virtual MVPDs industry as a whole. Cord cutters have clearly found a better alternative to cable TV.”