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FuboTV’s totally free sports network hopes to put ESPN on notice

Simon Cohen
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FuboTV, best known for its subscription-based, sports-heavy, live and on-demand streaming video service, has officially launched its Fubo Sports Network — a free streaming sports network for the U.S. which has been in limited release since June. Today also marks the start of the ad-supported network’s slate of new, originally produced content.

That soccer-heavy lineup of shows includes:

  • Call It a Night with Julie Stewart-Binks (Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m.) – A news program on sports and sports culture hosted by sports journalist and comedian Julie Stewart-Binks (ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS Sports HQ, SNY). The show will be shot at Fubo Sports Network’s studio in Hudson Yards, NYC.
  • The Players Lounge with Cobi Jones and PJ Harrison (Wednesdays at 8 p.m.) – Former American soccer greats interview top players, their friends, and fans about the hottest sports topics of the day.
  • The Cooligans (Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8 p.m.) – New York comedians Alexis Guerreros and Christian Polanco use their comedic chops to deliver an amusing take on American and world soccer.
  • Drinks with Binks (Fridays at 8 p.m.) – Sportscaster Julie Stewart-Binks “goes sip-for-sip with athletes and fans” in this show, according to FuboTV.
  • Football Report (Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m.) – News about soccer’s biggest stars, teams, and leagues.
  • Fubo News (Friday at 6 p.m.) – Coverage of the world’s top sporting events.
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“We know that sports are the most engaged [sic] live events in the world, however, we saw a lack of sports coverage on a free-to-consumer basis,” David Gandler, FuboTV’s co-founder and CEO said in a press release. “Our goal with Fubo Sports Network is to deliver edgy, fun, and informative talent-driven programming 24/7 to sports fans everywhere.”

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The sports network will also feature content created by its partners, which should help diversify all of that soccer coverage:

  • FanDuel/TVG: Hurry Up and More Ways to Win
  • Stadium: Baseball Stories hosted by Jayson Stark
  • The Players Tribune: The Real Athlete, How It Happened, For The Record
  • USA TODAY: SportsPulse, What I’m Hearing, For The Win
  • VSiN: VSiN Best Bets
  • Young Hollywood: Rookie On The Rise and Beyond The Athlete

In addition to the produced shows, Fubo Sports Network plans to air some actual live coverage of sporting events, too, but don’t expect these to compete with the likes of ESPN:

  • Liga MX Soccer (Univision): A weekly Sunday afternoon match from Mexico’s top soccer league is broadcast in English; Available to FuboTV subscribers only.
  • Cycling (IMG): Coverage of major global cycling events including Giro d’Italia, Cycliste de Quebec and shows like In Cycle magazine.
  • Horse Racing (TVG): Coverage of horse racing events.

Double Play Movie Night, is the network’s movie offering, featuring back-to-back sports movies, including documentaries, every Friday night at 8 p.m. ET.

FuboTV’s existing subscription service is one of the few that has been granted placement with the Apple TV app, the streaming video environment that is about to expand beyond the company’s Apple TV set-top boxes to smart TVs and competing devices like Roku and Amazon’s Fire TV. FuboTV recently hiked its subscription rates for both its standard and extra packages, but it has also been rapidly adding non-sports content to round out its offerings, including the addition of Viacom channels, and an expansion of its relationship with Discovery.

Fubo Sports Network is currently available via LG Channels powered by XUMO, Samsung TV Plus, The Roku Channel, XUMO and FuboTV’s Standard base package. The company has said that more distribution partners will be announced in the future.

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Simon Cohen
Simon Cohen
Contributing Editor, A/V
Simon Cohen covers a variety of consumer technologies, but has a special interest in audio and video products, like spatial…
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