Scripps Networks’ HGTV, Food Network and the Travel Channel will be joining FuboTV’s skinny bundle on July 1 as part of a multiyear carriage agreement, the companies announced. The entry-level “Fubo Premier” package costs $34.99 a month.
DIY and the Cooking Channel, two smaller Scripps networks, will be made available on the service as add-ons at a later date.
The news follows Fubo’s closing of a $55 million round of series C fundraising. Scripps is among the investors in the company. The streaming TV service also just set a carriage agreement with CBS Corp., which covers five of its networks. That brings the total channel tally to 60 on Fubo, spanning entertainment, lifestyle, sports and news.
“Our world-class lifestyle content is a perfect complement to the FuboTV service and we are thrilled to partner with a sport-centric OTT service to bring the best in class in home, food and travel programming that will delight and entertain their users,” said Henry Ahn, Scripps Networks Interactive’s president of content distribution and marketing. “This carriage deal further validates the ‘must have’ nature of Scripps content in an ever-competitive distribution landscape.”
David Gandler, FuboTV co-founder and CEO, said adding the Scripps networks “allows us to round out our basic bundle nicely, complementing our core sports offering with some of the most popular programming on TV.”
Fubo has made progress despite competition from deep-pocketed companies, including YouTube and Hulu, which each rolled out skinny bundle services this year. DirecTV, PlayStation and Dish are also in the market, along with some traditional MVPDs like Comcast and Verizon.
Including the series C round, which was led by venture capital fund Northzone, Fubo has raised $75.6 million so far. In addition to Scripps, backers also include 21st Century Fox and Sky.