Fubo subscribers are getting some NBCUniversal channels back, and the bill is going up with them. The live TV streaming service told customers that monthly plan prices will rise by $15 as NBC affiliates, Telemundo and several other NBCUniversal networks return after a blackout that began in November 2025.
The change leaves Fubo charging more than it did before the NBCUniversal dispute, while still carrying fewer of the channels it previously offered. That is the kind of arithmetic pay-TV customers tend to notice, especially from a service built around the pitch that internet TV would be less cable-like than cable.
Fubo is a virtual multichannel video programming distributor, meaning it sells live bundles of traditional TV channels over the internet. Its lineup has long leaned on sports, which makes local broadcast stations and regional sports networks more than decorative filler.
When the NBCUniversal contract fight knocked out local NBC stations, Telemundo, nine regional sports networks and 32 national channels, Fubo cut prices in December. The Essential plan dropped from $85 to $74 a month, Pro went from $85 to $75, and Elite fell from $95 to $84.
With the new $15 increase, those same plans land at $89, $90 and $99 a month, respectively, based on Fubo’s prior cuts and the newly announced increase.
What comes back, and what stays gone
Fubo says it is restoring NBC affiliates, Telemundo, regional sports channels, Bravo, Cozi, NBC News Now, Universo, True Crime and NBCSN. The company has been notifying subscribers by email and through a support page as the channels roll out.
Fubo told customers that higher programming costs forced it to pass along part of the increase. That is the standard pay-TV explanation, and in this case the mechanism is familiar: channel owners sell bundles, distributors pay carriage fees, and viewers get a bigger bill whether they wanted every channel in the bundle or not.
The restored deal does not bring back every network Fubo lost. Nine cable channels that NBCUniversal spun into Versant in January remain unavailable on Fubo, including CNBC, Syfy, USA Network, E! and MS Now, the network formerly known as MSNBC.
During the dispute, Fubo accused NBCUniversal of demanding too much money for the Versant channels. In a December statement, Fubo said it had offered to carry those networks for one year, while NBCUniversal wanted a multiyear agreement extending beyond the point when the channels would be owned by a separate company. Fubo argued that such a deal would make its subscribers subsidize channels the company said were not worth the cost to them.
Fubo also said at the time that it wanted to add NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service to its channel store. The announced restoration does not indicate that Fubo got that integration.
The result is a partial truce with a full-sized price hike. Fubo gets back some programming that matters to sports and broadcast viewers, NBCUniversal gets carriage restored for part of its portfolio, and subscribers get a higher monthly charge with several familiar channels still missing.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.
