FuboTV is still streaming TV’s underdog, but it’s growing

Earlier this year, FuboTV CEO David Gandler said he hopes to have a top-four streaming TV service in the United States, or even a top-three service globally. The startup still has a long way to go, though, as it’s now approaching 250,000 paid subscribers. That’s way up from 100,000 subscribers last September, but far behind Dish’s Sling TV (2.34 million as of August), AT&T’s DirecTV Now (1.8 million in the second quarter), Hulu with Live TV (1 million as of September), YouTube TV (unofficially 800,000 as of July), and PlayStation Vue (unofficially 745,000 in the second quarter).

Of course, FuboTV’s press release focuses not on subscriber numbers, but on growth, of which there’s plenty. On average, users spent 51 hours per month in the app last month, up from 11 hours in September 17, and the average subscriber revenue is now $40 per month instead of $22 per month as Fubo has expanded its lineup, raised prices, and built up ad revenue. And as I noted in my profile of FuboTV, the startup has beaten its larger competitors to certain technological milestones. For instance, it’s still the only live TV streaming service offering any sporting events in 4K HDR.

It’s still unclear what the endgame for FuboTV might be, but given that the startup has raised more than $150 million from companies like Sky, AMC, and 21st Century Fox, it still has the time and money to figure things out.

This story has been corrected to note that Fubo’s $40 per month average earnings per subscriber includes ad revenue.