fuboTV Adds Regional Sports Fee For MSG and NESN in Buffalo and New England
Similar to customers in Houston and Pittsburgh, fuboTV customers in the Buffalo, Rochester, and New England will now be subject to a $5 Regional Sports Fee.
Both new and existing customers in the those markets will be charged $5 a month Regional Sports Fee, which more or less is for NESN and MSG (Buffalo). It does not affect those in the New York metro market which get MSG and MSG+ for Knicks, Rangers, Islanders, and Devils games.
This isn’t an optional fee, so even if you don’t watch the channel you will still be paying the fee.
Customers in Houston, who previously did not pay an RSN fee, will now be subject to the fee. The RSN fee will be on your first bill following March 11, 2021.
| DTV STREAM | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free Trial | Free Trial | Get $10 Off | Sign Up | |||
| $79.99 | $91.99 | $76.99 | $25 | $40 | $40 | $72.99 | ||
| SportsNet Pittsburgh | + $29 | ✓ | - | - | - | - | - | |
| AT&T SportsNet Southwest | + $29 | ✓ | - | - | - | - | - | |
| MSG | + $29 | ✓ | - | - | - | - | - | |
| NESN | + $29 | ✓ | - | - | - | - | - | |
Back in August, fuboTV said they had “no current plans to charge fuboTV customers a regional sports fee in other markets.” However, since then they have added in most markets with RSNs, except those that carry NBC Sports RSNs. The $5 fee however is still ~$10 less than what is charged by cable operators.
The good news is, structurally, it does set-up the possibility of them adding additional RSNs, which doesn’t seem likely on YouTube TV and Hulu Live TV at their current price.
NESN is the TV home of the Boston Bruins and Boston Red Sox. The channel was dropped by YouTube TV in October, leaving just fuboTV and AT&T TV as your only option. MSG carries games of Buffalo Sabres (in Buffalo), along with select telecasts of New York Knicks, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, and New York Islanders.
[AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh] is the TV home of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Pittsburgh Pirates regional game telecasts, while AT&T SportsNet Southwest is the home of the Houston Rockets and Houston Astros.
Even with the additional fee, it is still the least expensive option to stream the channel. Your only other option is AT&T TV Choice Plan which is $84.99 a month. With the additional fee, you can get the Family Bundle in those markets starting at $69.99 a month.