NBC and Fubo TV Dispute: Current Status Update

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Fubo subscribers hoping to catch episodes of The Voice or any other NBC live programming faced an unexpected setback this week. Due to an ongoing carriage dispute, several NBC channels have temporarily vanished from Fubo’s streaming lineup, both live and on-demand.

This disruption began on November 21 at 5 p.m. ET, just a few weeks after YouTube TV resolved its own similar issue with ABC. As a result, NBCUniversal networks are currently unavailable to Fubo users.

Subscribers attempting to access NBC’s offerings are greeted with a message stating, “We are working hard to bring this channel back. We are currently negotiating with NBCUniversal and are hopeful that we’ll bring this channel back to you soon.”

Fubo has been transparent about the situation, with a post on their Help Center detailing the ongoing negotiations. The streaming service claims it has been involved in good faith discussions with NBCUniversal to renew their long-standing content agreement, which allows them to distribute NBCU’s networks to their subscribers.

However, Fubo has not shied away from criticism, describing NBCUniversal’s pricing proposals as “egregious” and “exorbitant,” suggesting these terms are the main sticking point in the negotiations.

“Fubo believes customers should have the option to choose among multiple distributors to access the content they love. Unfortunately, NBCU has offered terms regarding pricing and packaging that are egregiously above those offered to other distributors,” the statement reads. “There is no basis for this discrimination and, as a result, Fubo subscribers would either be denied important content or be forced to pay what we believe to be exorbitant costs.”

Photo: fuboTV

It remains unclear when NBCU networks will return to Fubo. However, the streamer notes that if the dispute continues and NBCU programming is not available on Fubo “for an extended period,” $15 will be directly credited to subscribers.