Back in October of 2021, fuboTV began charging a $5 monthly Regional Sports Fee to subscribers in New England markets that received NESN and NBC Sports Boston. The fee was not optional and it was added to the bill of new and existing subscribers even if they didn’t watch the networks. For New England sports fans, NESN and NBC Sports Boston are must-haves, as the RSNs are home to the Boston Red Sox, Boston Bruins, and Boston Celtics.
Now, fuboTV has increased the fee in the New England market by 80% to $8.99 per month. As of now, the price hike only affects new subscribers, and it’s still less than competitor Comcast’s Regional Sports Fee of $11.85, which was increased in 2021 from $10.75.
The RSN fees were first introduced in the Houston Market in 2020 before spreading to other markets the following year. Customers in the Pittsburgh (PA), Houston (TX) New York City/Buffalo/Rochester (NY), Chicago (IL), Washington, Oregon, Utah, and Nevada markets and their surrounding areas were affected by the fees, which varied from $5 to $6 per month, however, as of today, the New England market is the only one to see the increase to $8.99 per month.
Existing fuboTV subscribers have not seen a price increase as of today, but this strategy could help bring RSNs back to other streaming services like YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV. Plus, fuboTV added Root Sports and AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain to the platform in late 2021, shortly before announcing the Regional Sports Fee.