Fubo said TelevisaUnivision pulled its networks from the streaming pay-TV provider Monday — alleging the Spanish-language media giant was “refusing to offer what we believe to be fair and competitive rates.”
According to Fubo, “thousands of Spanish-speaking consumers across the U.S. have lost access to local news and weather — providing vital information affecting their communities — as a result of TelevisaUnivision pulling their programming from Fubo. This unfortunate development is the result of TelevisaUnivision refusing to offer what we believe to be fair and competitive rates.”
Reached for comment, TelevisaUnivision responded that Fubo was refusing to “pay the market value” of its programming.
“We have been working in good faith to reach an agreement with Fubo to avoid this outcome, but they refuse to pay the market value that other distributors have agreed to,” TelevisaUnivision said in a statement. “Fortunately, our channels are broadly distributed across many platforms, ensuring our audience has plenty of options to continue enjoying our programming while we work towards a resolution.”
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Fubo claimed that it “has made considerable efforts and offered compromises to renew our long-standing content agreement for TelevisaUnivision and its affiliated channels. However, TelevisaUnivision presented us with a new contract with restructured terms that would increase prices by 25% for our subscribers. Furthermore, TelevisaUnivision’s unfair bundling and tying practices require Fubo subscribers to buy all of their channels, including the channels they don’t watch.”
“TelevisaUnivision, the biggest provider of Spanish language content in the U.S., is attempting to use its dominant market power to force Fubo to pay higher prices, resulting in our Spanish-speaking subscribers paying significantly more to receive vital local news and weather, as well as sports and popular entertainment programming, in Spanish,” Fubo said. “TelevisaUnivision further abuses our Hispanic customers who love sports: to get all of the sports content that TelevisaUnivision offers, Fubo subscribers still have to pay separately for Vix+.”
Fubo said it “remains open to negotiating a new content agreement with TelevisaUnivision” but that the terms “must be fair and equitable for our subscribers. That includes accessing Spanish-language content in our Latino plan at a cost that is competitive.”
Earlier this month, recently appointed TelevisaUnivision CEO Daniel Alegre announced restructuring plans and layoffs at the company. The job cuts will reduce TelevisaUnivision’s headcount in the mid-to-high single-digit percentage range.
Amid the standoff with TelevisaUnivision, Fubo noted it continues to carry Spanish-language networks, including: beIN Sports Español, Canela, Centroamerica TV, Cine Latino, Cine Sony Television, ESPN Deportes, Estrella, Estrella News, Euronews Espanol, FILMEX, Fox Deportes, Fubo Latino, Gol TV Spanish, Nat Geo Mundo, Noticias Telemundo Ahora, Nuestra Tele, Tastemade en Espanol, Telefe, Telemundo Acción, Todo Cine, Tr3s, TyC Sports and WAPA.