Fubo Begins Experimenting with Variable Free Trial Periods; Will Standard 7-Day Trial Return?
As the college and NFL football seasons approach, Fubo is one of the top live TV streaming services available to watch both. In most markets, the service offers local affiliates as well as all of the major broadcast channels, plus cable sports channels like NFL Network, ESPN, Big Ten Network, SEC Network, and more.
The service also used to offer new customers a standardized free trial that lasted seven days when they signed up. But Fubo has decided to test out something new with its free trial period as football season approaches, which means that not all users will get a full week to try out the service any longer.
“The [free] trial period will now vary, potentially lasting for as little as one day based on the time of month,” Fubo told The Streamable in a statement.
The company did not specify the new maximum length of free trials, nor did it immediately explain which part of the month customers should sign up during to receive longer trials.
It also did not confirm if the new changes are permanent, but there is reason to think they may not be. In February of 2022, Fubo stopped offering its monthly plan and only gave new users the option to sign up quarterly, so as to keep customers from churning away once the Super Bowl concluded. In 2023 it did likewise, and in both cases the monthly subscription option reappeared after the big game was played.
The shift in free trial policy could be a similar tactic on Fubo’s part, designed to keep people from signing up to watch a given weekend of football games, and then canceling once the weekend is over but before their paid subscription begins. Perhaps fans will see the seven-day trial restored once opening weekends of the college or NFL seasons are played, but perhaps Fubo’s new trial guidelines are here to stay.
Other changes have been introduced to Fubo ahead of the 2023 football season. The company raised the base price of its most expensive plan to $99.99 per month in mid-August, but that plan now features the NFL RedZone channel. Customers of its Elite tier and above to watch football games broadcast by Fox in 4K through the Fubo interface in full Ultra-High-Definition, without needing to pay for an add-on.
Fubo
Fubo is a live TV streaming service with about 90 top channels that start at $79.99 per month. This plan includes local channels, 19 of the top 35 cable channels, and regional sports networks (RSNs). In total, you should expect to pay about $94.99 per month, after adding in their RSN Fee. Fubo was previously known as “fuboTV.”