Streaming cable alternative Fubo TV will tack on a new fee for customers who live in the Houston television market.
Earlier this month, the service said it would start charging Houston-area customers an extra $5 a month on top of a subscriber’s normal fee.
The extra fee is intended to supplement the carriage of AT&T Sportsnet Southwest, the regional sports broadcaster of the Houston Astros baseball and Houston Rockets basketball teams.
The fee is intended to recoup the added cost of providing the channel to its subscribers in that area.
Fubo TV subscribers who signed up for the service before August 3, 2020 won’t be charged the fee as of now, nor will customers outside of the channel’s coverage area. People who temporarily visit Houston also won’t be assessed the fee, though they also won’t get the sports channel during their stay.
The company says the fee will only be assessed for new Houston-area customers or existing subscribers who move their service address into the Houston television market from another area.
“For Astros and Rockets fans who don’t want to miss a game, Fubo TV remains the best and least-expensive option to receive AT&T Sportsnet Southwest,” the company said in an FAQ on its website.
Fubo TV says there are currently no plans to charge supplemental regional sports fees in other markets where it offers those channels.
Fubo TV is the cheapest way to access the channel via a streaming cable TV replacement. The channel is included in Fubo TV’s base package, which costs $65 a month (or $70 a month with the Houston-area regional sports fee included).
The channel is also available from AT&T directly via AT&T TV Now for $80 a month.
Fubo TV offers customers access to more than 100 live news, general entertainment and sports channels from a handful of programmers, including Disney (ESPN, Disney Channel, Freeform, FX), ViacomCBS (CBS Sports Network, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon), Fox Corporation (Fox News, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2), Comcast (NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, Bravo, E!, USA) AMC Networks (AMC, IFC, BBC America) and others.
The sports-centric service also offers channels from niche sports-focused programmers, including Sinclair (Stadium, Tennis Channel), Univision (TUDN) and Al Jazeera Media Networks (BeIN Sports).
