FuboTV Launches Free Ad-Supported Channel on Samsung and LG TVs

FuboTV, the sports-centric streaming TV platform, has launched its ad-supported channel fubo Sports Network on Samsung TV Plus and LG Channels powered by Xumo, the streamer announced Wednesday morning. The free channel will stream select event coverage, news, behind-the-scenes and exclusive programming related to sports. The announcement follows the network’s soft launch in June when it became available on the free streaming TV platform Xumo and in fuboTV’s Standard base package. Word that fuboTV was planning to launch an ad-supported channel was first reported by TheWrap in May. The company says that additional distribution partners will be announced in the coming months. “It’s still early days for fubo Sports Network and I’m pleased partners like Samsung and Xumo are embracing the power of the network to reach sports fans,” David Gandler, co-founder and CEO, fuboTV, said. “Our goals for fubo Sports Network are ambitious yet simple: We plan to deliver sports programming 24/7 that’s a bit edgy, always fun and with a clear point of view, and make it free to sports fans on multiple platforms and on every device.” Fubo Sports Network’s launch follows a strong second quarter for fuboTV, during which time subscribers watched over three billion minutes of programming on the service, a nearly 200% spike over 2018. Engagement across connected TVs (CTVs) in particular saw strong annual growth, according to the company. Nearly 90% of total hours watched were on CTVs in June 2019 vs. 67% in June 2018. Additionally, hours spent on CTVs by subscriber increased 195% in June over the prior year. Part of that growth can be attributed to continued innovation on the platform, such as being one of the first live TV streaming services to launch “dynamic discovery” – a patent-pending interface that allows subscribers to browse live entertainment through an in-progress preview directly on the home screen. In a conversation with TheWrap in May, Gandler said that the company eventually plans to launch a Netflix-like recommendation engine and a personal profiles feature on fuboTV, which he believes will lead to an increase of time spent on the platform.