In an industry where price hikes have become the norm, Fubo’s decision to lower its subscription fees stands out. As a serial entrepreneur and someone who values data-driven decisions, I see this as a strategic move designed to navigate turbulent negotiations and retain customer loyalty. Let’s examine the situation closely, and more importantly, draw lessons that European female entrepreneurs can apply to their own businesses.
The Background
Fubo, a sports-focused streaming service, faced a significant challenge recently. Losing key NBCUniversal channels, a suite that included popular regional sports networks, Telemundo, and major entertainment hubs like Bravo, meant they no longer justified their higher subscription fees in the eyes of their users. In response, Fubo lowered the monthly cost of its most popular plans by up to 15%, a rare move for a platform in today’s streaming industry. The price cut coincides with failed negotiations between Fubo and NBCUniversal, where disagreements over contract terms led to what appears to be a prolonged blackout. Subscribers, frustrated by fewer available channels, were given both price reductions and temporary credits.
This scenario reminds me of the importance of staying flexible as entrepreneurs. Losing a key supplier or partnership doesn’t have to spell disaster. Instead, adjusting your business model, pricing, or other fundamentals can not only calm uncertainty but open pathways for repositioning.
Lessons for Entrepreneurs
Outlined below are five actionable takeaways from Fubo’s decision that directly apply to European female entrepreneurs, particularly in competitive markets like tech, creative industries, or e-commerce.
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Know Your Value Proposition, And Reassess it Often
Fubo realized that without NBCUniversal content, their value to subscribers had decreased. Rather than ignoring backlash, they addressed it by adapting their pricing strategy. Whether you’re running a SaaS platform or designing luxury handbags, clearly define what makes your product desirable and be ready to reassess when circumstances change. -
Communicate Every Change Transparently
Fubo not only implemented price cuts but backed them with bold communication efforts, directly addressing customer concerns. Similarly, when tweaking prices, launching new products, or even removing offerings, ensure you explain the reasons to your users in honest, direct terms. Transparency builds trust. -
Dare to Do What Competitors Won’t
While competitors like YouTube TV and Disney+ continue to increase their rates, Fubo is attempting to gain an edge by lowering theirs. Sometimes, breaking from industry norms can work as a powerful differentiator. For early-stage startups especially, do not be afraid to disrupt typical expectations. A bold move, such as simplifying contracts or removing unnecessary features, can help you stand apart. -
Leverage Relationships Without Over-reliance
NBCUniversal had great leverage as one of Fubo’s largest content providers, but overly depending on a single partnership put Fubo in a vulnerable spot. Entrepreneurs, take note: diversify your partnerships and income streams to ensure resilience during disagreements or losses. -
Turn Challenges Into Marketing Opportunities
Fubo’s pricing adjustment is certainly an attempt to win back goodwill from both existing and prospective customers. Framing hard decisions as steps forward rather than setbacks shows strength and builds momentum. Is your product delayed? Share the reasons, and focus on how it will improve. Facing new competition? Incorporate their entry into your narrative.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Entrepreneurs often stumble not because of poor ideas but because of mismanaged transitions. Here’s what to stay mindful of:
- Blindfolding Your Users: Making a significant change, whether reducing prices or rebranding, without proper communication leads to confusion and mistrust. Keep your audience informed at all times.
- Pricing Without a Purpose: Pricing changes should always align with customer expectations and your long-term plans. Random adjustments, even if seemingly positive, often backfire.
- Acting Too Slowly: Fubo’s rapid response shows why timeliness matters. Adjust fast when market conditions shift, and demonstrate agility.
Insights Regarding Pricing in Europe
For European women in business, underpricing products or services is a common trap, particularly early in entrepreneurship. While cutting prices might sound appealing to capture more customers, I urge founders to do so meaningfully. Research whether your audience perceives strong value in lower prices or whether other strategies, like bundling services or offering subscriptions, might work better.
Similarly, some industries, luxury fashion, unique tech solutions, may diminish their appeal through inexplicable discounts. Do not change pricing for change’s sake; focus instead on reinforcing why every euro spent on your business delivers something unique.
How to Apply These Principles in Your Business
If you’re facing a situation where partnerships, market conditions, or user expectations force adjustments, here’s a straightforward guide to creating a stress-tested plan:
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Gather Data: Use analytics to track what your customers value most. For example, Fubo didn’t blindly cut prices; they tailored decreases after evaluating customer behavior during the content blackout.
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Listen Actively: If user feedback is negative, address it tactfully but decisively. Unhappy customers sometimes point out things entrepreneurs overlook.
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Prioritize & Simplify: Avoid complicating changes with multiple moving parts. If you lower or increase pricing, aim for clarity and simplicity.
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Track Small Wins: Even modest gains, an uptick in subscribers or saved churn, provide encouragement. Use tools to observe KPIs relevant to your goals.
Conclusion
Fubo’s recent decision is more than a curious industry update; it’s a demonstration that adapting thoughtfully can steer businesses through rough waters. As a female founder, this resonates with me deeply. Challenges, whether losing a partnership or adjusting pricing, are inevitable hurdles in entrepreneurship. The bright side is the opportunity to learn when you approach such issues with agility, clarity, and purpose.
Running a startup, raising funding, and creating something impactful from scratch as a solo female entrepreneur bring rewards that outweigh the risks. Just like Fubo found creative ways to tackle setbacks, so too can your business, if you remain analytical and creative. Remember: the market doesn’t always demand you follow trends. Sometimes, it rewards those bold enough to simply do things differently.
FAQ
1. Why did Fubo lower its subscription fees?
Fubo lowered its subscription fees by up to 15% after losing access to key NBCUniversal channels, including NBC affiliates, Bravo, Telemundo, and regional sports networks. This decision aimed to adjust to its reduced content offerings and maintain customer loyalty. Read more on Ars Technica
2. How much did Fubo reduce its subscription fees by?
Fubo reduced its fees by varying amounts depending on the plan. The Essential plan dropped from $85 to $74 a month, the Pro plan from $85 to $75, and the Elite plan from $95 to $84.
3. What triggered the blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo?
The blackout happened due to failed negotiation between Fubo and NBCUniversal over carrier fees and terms for channel bundles. Discover more about the dispute
4. How is Fubo using this pricing move strategically?
Fubo’s pricing adjustment aims to attract cost-conscious viewers and differentiate itself in the market by going against the trend of increasing subscription prices, unlike Disney+ or YouTube TV. Find additional insights on Ars Technica
5. Are the price reductions permanent?
Fubo has not clarified if the price reductions are permanent or if the rates will adjust if NBCUniversal channels return.
6. What lessons can entrepreneurs draw from Fubo's decision?
Entrepreneurs can learn several lessons: staying adaptable to market changes, reassessing value propositions, maintaining transparent communication with customers, and diversifying partnerships.
7. How does Fubo compare to competitors like YouTube TV?
Fubo’s subscriber base is smaller at 1.63 million compared to YouTube TV’s 9.4 million. Its recent price reductions aim to compete better by offering lower-cost options despite having fewer channels. Explore more on Ars Technica
8. Why did Fubo want NBCUniversal’s Peacock integrated into its service?
Adding Peacock would have enhanced Fubo’s offerings by including NBCUniversal content, similar to its availability on YouTube TV and Amazon Prime Video. However, this request was denied due to Fubo's smaller market share.
9. What can small businesses learn about pricing strategies from this case?
Fubo’s approach shows that pricing decisions need to reflect changes in value propositions and market dynamics. Entrepreneurs should ensure that prices align with customer expectations and strategic objectives.
10. What impact did Disney’s acquisition have on Fubo?
Disney’s acquisition of Fubo in October 2025 added industry pressure on Fubo to maintain competitive pricing and subscriber growth, especially against Disney’s other streaming services. Learn more about Disney’s acquisition of Fubo
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.
