Short answer: pick Fubo if your local NBA, NHL or MLB team is on a regional sports network it carries, or if more than three people watch at once. Pick YouTube TV for almost everyone else: it has TNT and TBS on its Full Plan, unlimited DVR, a better guide and NFL Sunday Ticket. On price they're close. Both sell a sports-focused plan at $64.99, and full packages cost $82.99 (YouTube TV) and $88.99 (Fubo Pro). The catch with Fubo is what's missing: it has historically carried no Warner Bros. Discovery networks, so no TNT, TBS or CNN.
At a glance
YouTube TV vs Fubo, September 2026
| Sports plan | $64.99 each |
| Full package | $82.99 YouTube TV / $88.99 Fubo Pro |
| Regional sports | Fubo, clearly |
| TNT, TBS, CNN | YouTube TV (Full Plan) |
| Our default pick | YouTube TV, unless you need an RSN |
The question that settles it
Where do your local teams' games air?
If the answer is a regional sports network (a FanDuel Sports Network channel, an NBC Sports regional, MSG, NESN, Marquee or similar), check Fubo first. YouTube TV carries very few RSNs, and for local NBA, NHL and MLB fans that single fact outweighs everything else on this page. Enter your ZIP code on Fubo's site and look for your team's network by name.
If your teams are national-TV only, or you follow the NFL, college football and the big events, YouTube TV usually comes out ahead. It has more of the national networks, a cleaner app, and the NFL's out-of-market package.
There's a middle route worth pricing too. Several regional sports networks now sell their own streaming subscription directly, often around $20 to $25 a month, and a few teams have moved games to free local broadcast stations. If that's true for your team, YouTube TV plus a direct RSN subscription can cost about the same as Fubo Pro while keeping YouTube TV's app and TNT. Do the sum for your own team before deciding.
And be realistic about how many local games you watch. If it's a dozen a season, the RSN may not be worth paying for all year; if it's most nights from October to April, it almost certainly is.
Plans and prices
List prices checked September 2026, before tax, regional sports fees and introductory offers.
| YouTube TV | Price | Fubo | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entertainment | $54.99 | Latino (Spanish-language) | $19.99 |
| Sports | $64.99 | Sports + News (about 23 channels) | $64.99 |
| News + Entertainment + Family | $69.99 | n/a | n/a |
| Sports + News | $71.99 | Pro (200+ channels, most RSNs) | $88.99 |
| Full (around 138 channels) | $82.99 | Elite (270+ channels, 4K) | $98.99 |
Two practical notes. Fubo, like DirecTV, can add a regional sports fee in markets where it carries RSNs, which pushes the real price of Pro above $88.99. And both services offer introductory discounts often enough that it's worth checking the offer page before signing up; YouTube TV discounted its Sports Plan for a new member's first year at launch.
Channel differences that matter
The lineups overlap heavily: locals, ESPN networks, Fox's cable channels, NBCUniversal channels and most entertainment networks are on both. The differences are concentrated in a few places.
| Channel group | YouTube TV | Fubo |
|---|---|---|
| Local ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC | Nearly all markets | Most markets, with more gaps; check ZIP |
| Regional sports networks | Very few | Many, on Pro and Elite |
| TNT, TBS, truTV, CNN | Yes, Full Plan | Historically no |
| ESPN networks | Yes | Yes, with ESPN Unlimited access on some plans |
| International soccer and niche sports | Limited | Strong: beIN Sports and others |
| Spanish-language | Spanish Plus add-on | Latino plan and add-ons |
The TNT gap matters less for the NBA than it once did, since the league moved its national games to ESPN, NBC and Peacock, and Prime Video from 2025-26. But TNT still carries NHL games, part of March Madness, MLB and NASCAR, and it's the home of college football studio shows. If any of those matter, it counts against Fubo.
Fubo's strength in international sport is real. beIN Sports and other soccer networks make it the easier choice for fans of European and Latin American leagues.
DVR, screens, 4K and multiview
| YouTube TV | Fubo | |
|---|---|---|
| DVR | Unlimited, kept 9 months | 1,000 hours on main plans |
| Streams at once | 3 (more at home with 4K Plus, $9.99) | Up to 10 at home on Pro and Elite |
| 4K | Selected events with 4K Plus | Selected events on Elite |
| Multiview | Up to 4 streams | Up to 4 streams on supported devices |
| Free trial | Typically offered | About 5 days |
The screens difference is significant for big households. Ten streams at home means a family can have games on in several rooms without paying extra. YouTube TV needs its 4K Plus add-on to go beyond three.
On DVR, 1,000 hours is more than most people ever use, so YouTube TV's "unlimited" is a nicer headline than a practical advantage. Where YouTube TV is ahead is the app. Its guide, search and recording management are simpler, and it's been more consistent across devices.
What the Fubo and Hulu deal changes
In 2025 Fubo agreed to combine with Hulu + Live TV, with Disney taking a majority stake. The combination closed in late 2025, ending Fubo's earlier antitrust lawsuit against the Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery sports venture.
In September 2026 the two are still sold as separate services, but the shared ownership already shows. Hulu + Live TV added Fubo Sports Network to its lineup this year, and further integration is likely. For you, that means Fubo is now backed by a much larger company, which should reduce the risk of the service struggling to pay for channels. It also means its lineup could change as the two products are brought closer together. Month-to-month billing protects you either way.
For a wider comparison that includes Hulu + Live TV itself, see our 2026 live TV picks.
For NFL fans specifically
Both carry the local CBS, Fox and NBC stations (by market), ESPN and NFL Network, which covers most regular-season games. Neither includes Thursday Night Football, which is on Prime Video, or the Netflix games.
The differences:
- Sunday Ticket is sold through YouTube. You can buy it without YouTube TV, but it's integrated more neatly with a YouTube TV subscription.
- NFL RedZone is an add-on on both. On Fubo it's part of a sports add-on pack; on YouTube TV it comes with the Sports Plus add-on.
- Local CBS and Fox coverage is more complete on YouTube TV. Check your ZIP code on Fubo before relying on it for Sunday afternoons.
Our NFL 2026 viewing guide maps every game window to a service, and our wider sports streaming guide covers the NBA, MLB and NHL.
Who should choose which
Choose Fubo if: your local team is on an RSN Fubo carries; you want lots of screens at home; you follow international soccer; you watch in Spanish and want the Latino plan.
Choose YouTube TV if: you want the most reliable local channels; you watch NHL or March Madness on TNT; you want Sunday Ticket; you want a smaller, cheaper plan without sports; or you simply want the easier app.
Consider neither if: you only need ESPN and have an antenna. Sling Orange is cheaper, as our YouTube TV vs Sling comparison shows.
Whichever you pick, run the trial during a game you actually care about, on the TV you'll actually use. Our free trials guide explains how to test properly before the first charge.
Quick answers
Is YouTube TV or Fubo better for sports? Fubo for local teams on regional sports networks and international soccer; YouTube TV for NFL, TNT sports and overall reliability of local channels.
Which is cheaper? Their sports plans are both $64.99. Full packages are $82.99 on YouTube TV and $88.99 on Fubo Pro, before regional sports fees.
Does Fubo have TNT? Fubo has historically not carried TNT, TBS or CNN. Check its current lineup before subscribing.
Which has more DVR? YouTube TV is unlimited; Fubo gives 1,000 hours, which is plenty for most households.
How many people can watch at once? Three on YouTube TV without add-ons; up to ten at home on Fubo Pro and Elite.
Is Fubo part of Hulu now? Fubo and Hulu + Live TV combined in late 2025 under Disney's majority ownership, but are still sold separately.
Can I get NFL Sunday Ticket on Fubo? No. Sunday Ticket is sold through YouTube.
Prices are list prices before tax, regional sports fees and introductory offers; lineups vary by ZIP code and change with carriage deals. Confirm on each provider's site before subscribing. Checked September 2026.