fuboTV Announces Launch of Branded Content Studio at 2021 IAB Newfronts
Signs Soccer Greats Pablo Zabaleta, Melissa Ortiz to Lead Original Programming for South American Qatar World Cup 2022 Qualifying Matches; Fubo Sports Network to Premiere Terrell Owens and Matthew Hatchette’s Getcha Popcorn Ready as Vodcast, New Season of
New York(03 May 2021)
fuboTV Inc. (NYSE: FUBO), the leading sports-first live TV streaming platform, will announce at the 2021 IAB NewFronts today the launch of a branded content studio for advertisers, new and returning shows from Terrell Owens, Matthew Hatchette and Gilbert Arenas on Fubo Sports Network and a partnership with LiveRamp to enhance its addressable advertising capabilities.
Through the new studio, advertisers can collaborate with fuboTV’s creative team to create custom branded content to air on Fubo Sports Network. Working with fuboTV, advertising partners have a full menu of creative options to choose from, including short and long form custom brand content and unique original integrations featuring Fubo Sports Network talent.
The launch comes as fuboTV and Fubo Sports Network are gearing up to exclusively stream the Qatar World Cup 2022 Qualifying matches of South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) beginning next month. In addition to CONMEBOL, fuboTV will stream many qualifying matches through its carriage of other channel partners.
To bolster its Qatar World Cup 2022 Qualifiers coverage, fuboTV will produce original programming, including pre, half-time and post match shows, to air throughout the season. fuboTV will announce today it has signed soccer legends Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City and Argentina star) and Melissa Ortiz (Colombia’s women’s national team) as hosts.
Additional hosts and programming details, including how consumers can stream all South American qualifying matches with fuboTV and Fubo Sports Network, will be announced.
Also during its IAB NewFronts presentation today, fuboTV will announce new original programming for Fubo Sports Network. Terrell Owens, a six-time NFL Pro Bowl selection and five-time first-team All-Pro wide receiver, and Matthew Hatchette, a veteran NFL wide receiver, will bring their Getcha Popcorn Ready podcast to TV for the first time when the show premieres as a vodcast on Fubo Sports Network this summer. Additionally, Fubo Sports Network will premiere the second season of its popular show, No Chill with Gilbert Arenas, hosted by the three-time NBA All-Star.
Getcha Popcorn Ready joins Fubo Sports Network’s growing lineup of talent-driven original programming featuring, in addition to No Chill with Gilbert Arenas, the Julie Stewart-Binks hosted Drinks with Binks and The Cooligans from the self-proclaimed soccer and stand-up comedians.
On the business front, fuboTV will announce today a new partnership with LiveRamp to enhance its existing addressable targeting capabilities. fuboTV advertisers can now seamlessly activate data and measure across all advanced connected TV (CTV) campaign strategies through access to LiveRamp's unique Advanced TV products. LiveRamp’s products include privacy-safe subscriber file matching, viewership and best-in-class measurement with Data+Math.
“As advertising budgets continue to shift from TV to streaming video and CTVs, providing our clients with custom opportunities to engage their consumers further adds to the power of OTT platforms like ours,” said Diana Horowitz, senior vice president, advertising sales, fuboTV. “Through our new branded content studio, we can bring brands to life as only our fuboTV talent can, all while integrating them into some of the most sought-after live events on the sports calendar. And, aided by our new partnership with LiveRamp that enhances our existing advanced addressability capabilities, our advertising partners can ensure their campaigns are reaching highly engaged, targeted audiences.”
“I’m truly excited about the original programming opportunities fuboTV will be offering consumers and advertisers over the next year,” said Pamela Duckworth, head of fubo Sports Network and original programming. “From our exclusive streaming rights for South American Qatar World Cup 2022 Qualifying matches - and all of the shoulder programming we will produce with icons like Pablo Zabaleta and Melissa Ortiz - to our Fubo Sports Network original shows with Terrell Owens, Matthew Hatchette and Gilbert Arenas, there is no better platform to engage with all things sports.”
fuboTV continues to grow its leading position as a sports-first live TV streaming platform. The company closed 2020 with nearly 548,000 subscribers, an increase of 73% year-over-year. In addition to its growing subscription business, fuboTV’s ad sales operations also closed a record year. Advertising revenue grew 133% year-over-year to $29 million with advertising average revenue per user (ad ARPU) reaching $8.47, an increase of 52% year-over-year. Engagement was also strong with fuboTV users streaming 544.9 million hours of sports, news and entertainment content in 2020, and 7.2 hours per day.
Leveraging a powerful combination of live sports, premium video and custom executions, coupled with industry-leading advertising technology and targeting capabilities, fuboTV’s rapidly growing advertising business offers brands and marketers flexible solutions to reach a highly engaged audience, in a premium connected TV environment.
About fuboTV
With a mission to provide the world’s most thrilling sports-first live TV experience through the greatest breadth of premium content, interactivity and integrated wagering, fuboTV Inc. (NYSE: FUBO) is focused on bringing to life its vision of a streaming platform that transcends the industry’s current virtual MVPD model. fuboTV Inc. operates in the U.S., Canada and Spain.
Leveraging its proprietary data and technology platform optimized for live TV and sports viewership, fuboTV Inc. aims to turn passive viewers into active participants. Through its cable TV replacement product, fuboTV, subscribers can stream a broad mix of 100+ live TV channels, including 42 of the top 50 Nielsen-ranked networks across sports, news and entertainment — more than any other live TV streaming platform (source: Nielsen Total Viewers, 2020). fuboTV intends to add interactivity to its streaming experience with the launch of a predictive free-to-play gaming app in Q3 2021.
Fubo Gaming Inc., a subsidiary of fuboTV Inc., expects to launch Fubo Sportsbook, a comprehensive sports and entertainment experience through sports betting and interactive gaming, in Q4 2021, subject to obtaining requisite regulatory approvals.