Fubo Launches a New Integrated Marketing Partnership with The Athletic

Fubo has launched an integrated marketing partnership with The Athletic, which will see the virtual pay TV company’s brand and video content featured on the New York Times’ sports-focused digital platform.

Fubo, The Athletic’s first video streaming marketing partner, will have its content integrated into the sports site’s live game blogging, with future plans to include preview articles, newsletters, and product sections. The two sides also stated their commitment to collaborate on new features for The Athletic.

Neither side would reveal any financial information about the arrangement, nor would they reveal exactly what Fubo content would be available on The Athletic. The announcement did say the two would collaborate to provide engaging content experiences “through custom in-content modules that will feature relevant game information.”

Fubo, for its part, began as a live streaming destination for soccer fans a decade ago and has since evolved into a broader virtual MVPD (vMVPD) that markets itself as a packager of live channels for sports enthusiasts, including ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS Sports, and NBC Sports, among others.

Fubo has aggressively pursued marketing partnerships with pro sports teams, especially those in Major League Baseball.

The Athletic partnership is intended to entice sports fans from the Times’ rapidly growing sports platform to sign up for one of Fubo’s four live-streamed pay TV tiers, which begin at $60 per month for its lowest-cost plan under an introductory price that rises to $80 after the first month.

Fubo is competing with YouTube TV, the fastest-growing company in pay TV, which has major marketing partners such as the NBA.

And it could use any assistance that The Athletic might supply. Fubo closed the second quarter in June with 1.45 million North American subscribers, down from 1.51 million in the first quarter but up 24% from 1.16 million paying consumers at the end of the second quarter of 2023.

Since its stock peaked at nearly $50 a share in early 2021, Fubo has hovered just above junk trading waters. In the fourth quarter, the company reported a net loss of $26.7 million, compared to a loss of $50 million the previous year.

The Athletic, which the New York Times bought for $550 million in 2022, wants to build a comprehensive sports platform that integrates live video and other content elements into the user experience.

The Times reported that subscription revenue for The Athletic increased by 19.4% to $29.3 million in the second quarter, while ad revenue increased by 30% to $7.1 million.

“This partnership brings together The Athletic’s unrivaled sports journalism and Fubo’s dynamic live content, enhancing the way fans engage with sports.” Sebastian Tomich, chief commercial and development officer for The Athletic, stated in a statement, “Together, we are committed to building a deeper community of sports enthusiasts, providing the best coverage, and creating immersive new experiences for fans at both the local and national levels.”