fuboTV Says It's Licensed 486 Local Stations, Ranks 3rd Among vMVPDs

Start-up virtual pay TV provider fuboTV said it has added eight more local affiliate stations, putting the total number of CBS, Fox, NBC, CW and Telemundo locals under contract at 486.

This total ranks the start-up third among vMVPDs, according to recent data published by CNET and others. Hulu with Live TV ranks first, with more than 600 local stations under contract, followed by YouTube TV with more than 500. The tallies put DirecTV Now at around 360 locals, and in fourth place. 

Notably, fuboTV has yet to sign a licensing deal with The Walt Disney Company, so ABC stations don’t factor into its mix.

Related: fuboTV Raises $75M More

With the addition fo WAKA-TV in Montgomery, Alabama; KZTV-TV in Corpus Christie, Texas; WKBT-TV in La Crosse-Eau Claire, Wisconsin; and WCBI-TV in Columbus, Georgia, fuboTV has local coverage of CBS in 71% of the country.

With WSFA-TV in Montgomery, KRIS-TV in Corpus Christi and WEAI-TV in La Crosse-Eau Claire, coverage for NBC is up to 76%.

And with WLAX-TV in La Crosse-Eau Claire in the fold, coverage of Fox is at 93%.

With vMVPDs carrying many of the same channels, it's retrans deals with local stations that provide an edge in any given market.

Meanwhile, fuboTV also announced the addition of RAI Italia as a $7.99-a-month add-on, giving its subscribers access to Series A soccer matches. 

Daniel Frankel

Daniel Frankel is the managing editor of Next TV, an internet publishing vertical focused on the business of video streaming. A Los Angeles-based writer and editor who has covered the media and technology industries for more than two decades, Daniel has worked on staff for publications including E! Online, Electronic Media, Mediaweek, Variety, paidContent and GigaOm. You can start living a healthier life with greater wealth and prosperity by following Daniel on Twitter today!