So you wake up one Saturday morning, settle into your couch with coffee in hand, ready to catch your favorite NBC show or maybe binge some Bravo reality TV drama, and – nothing. Just a blank screen where your usual programming should be. Welcome to the latest streaming platform hostage situation, where Fubo and NBCUniversal are having a little disagreement, and you’re the one caught in the crossfire.

As of January 2025, Fubo subscribers lost access to NBC, Bravo, USA Network, MSNBC, CNBC, and basically the entire NBCUniversal family of channels. It’s the kind of carriage dispute that makes you miss the old days of cable. Wait, did I actually just say that out loud?

Here’s the thing though – you’ve got options. Actually, quite a few of them. Let’s talk about how to keep watching your shows without losing your mind or your Saturday Night Live fix.

The Quick Fix: NBC’s Free Streaming App

This one’s almost too obvious, which is probably why people overlook it. NBC has its own app, and it’s actually free. Well, sort of free – you’ll deal with commercials, but that’s the trade-off.

What You Can Watch (and What You Can’t)

The NBC app gives you access to current season episodes, usually available the day after they air. That means your weekly dose of reality shows, dramas, and late-night comedy is still accessible. You just need to remember to actually open the app instead of channel surfing. (Which, let’s be honest, is harder than it sounds when you’re used to just scrolling through your guide.)

Here’s where it gets a bit messy. Live programming is hit or miss unless you authenticate with a TV provider – which kind of defeats the purpose if you’re trying to avoid paying for another service. And some shows have limited availability windows. It’s not a perfect solution, but for casual viewers who just want to keep up with a couple shows? It’ll do the job.

Peacock: The Obvious (But Not Free) Alternative

NBCUniversal really wants you to subscribe to Peacock. Like, really wants you to. And honestly, if you’re a serious NBC content consumer, it might be worth considering.

Breaking Down the Peacock Tiers

Peacock comes in two flavors these days. The Premium tier runs about $7.99 monthly (though prices seem to creep up when you’re not looking), and Premium Plus costs $13.99. The difference? Mostly just whether you want to watch ads or not.

The content library is actually pretty decent. You get next-day access to current NBC shows, a bunch of Bravo series, plus their original content like that surprisingly good Poker Face show. Live sports are included too – Premier League games, WWE, the occasional big sporting event. If you’re into that kind of thing.

• Next-day episodes: Most NBC prime-time shows show up the following morning
• Live channels: Including NBC News Now and some sports coverage
• Back catalog: Old seasons of shows you might want to revisit (or finally start)
• Originals: Hit or miss, but there are some gems in there

The catch? You’re essentially paying for what you probably thought you were already getting with Fubo. Which feels a bit like being charged twice for the same thing, doesn’t it?

Is It Actually Worth It?

Depends on how much NBC content you actually watch. If you’re someone who follows multiple shows across the network, yeah, probably. If you just want to catch SNL once in a while, maybe not so much. Do the math on how many shows you regularly watch – if it’s more than three or four, the subscription starts making sense financially. If it’s less than that, you might be better off with the free options.

The Nuclear Option: Switch Streaming Services Entirely

Now we’re getting into the real decisions. Because honestly, this whole dispute might be the universe telling you it’s time to reconsider your streaming setup anyway.

YouTube TV: The Heavyweight Contender

YouTube TV has become kind of the default recommendation for people jumping ship from other streaming services, and there’s a reason for that. It’s comprehensive – maybe too comprehensive for what you actually need, but comprehensive nonetheless.

You’ll pay around $72.99 monthly (again, these prices change, so check current rates). For that, you get basically everything including NBC and all its sister channels. Plus unlimited DVR storage, which is actually kind of amazing when you think about how cable companies used to nickel and dime you for extra recording space.

The interface is pretty intuitive if you’re already familiar with YouTube’s ecosystem. The channel selection is robust – there’s that word we’re not supposed to use, but it fits here – with most major networks included. The downside? That price tag. You’re looking at nearly $900 a year, which starts to feel a lot like cable pricing without the cable company guilt.

Hulu + Live TV: The All-in-One Play

Here’s where things get interesting. Hulu’s live TV package bundles their streaming library with live channels, including the full NBC suite. The price hovers around $76.99 per month for the basic live package.

What makes Hulu appealing is that you’re getting two services in one. You’ve got access to their original shows (The Bear, anyone?), next-day network programming, and live TV all in the same app. It’s convenient, even if the interface can be a bit clunky when you’re trying to figure out if you want to watch something live or on-demand.

The Disney bundle option is worth mentioning too. You can package Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+ together, which might make sense if you’ve got kids or you’re into sports. Or if you just really like rewatching The Mandalorian for the fifth time. No judgment here.

Sling TV: The Budget-Conscious Choice

Sling’s whole deal is being cheaper than everyone else, with packages starting around $40 monthly. But here’s the catch with NBC – it’s only available in select markets on Sling Blue. You’ll want to check if your area actually gets it before signing up.

The channel selection is more limited than YouTube TV or Hulu, but if you’re specifically just trying to solve the NBC problem and don’t care about having 85 channels you’ll never watch, Sling might work. It’s kind of like the no-frills airline of streaming TV – gets you where you need to go, but don’t expect luxury.

The Old-School Solution: An Actual Antenna

Remember over-the-air broadcasting? It still exists. And it’s still free.

If you live anywhere near a major city, you can probably pick up NBC with a digital antenna. We’re not talking about those old rabbit ears your grandparents had (though those might work too, honestly). Modern indoor antennas are pretty sleek and can pull in surprisingly good quality signals.

You’ll spend maybe $30-50 one time for a decent antenna, and then that’s it. Free NBC forever. Well, as long as they keep broadcasting over the air, which seems likely for the foreseeable future. The picture quality is actually better than streaming in some cases since there’s no compression.

The obvious limitation is that you only get what’s broadcasting live. No DVR unless you invest in additional equipment, no on-demand content, no rewinding when you miss something because you were checking your phone. It’s television the way it used to be, which is either charmingly retro or frustratingly limited depending on your perspective.

What This Dispute Actually Means (And When It Might End)

These carriage disputes pop up pretty regularly in the streaming world. It’s basically a game of chicken between the platform and the content provider, with each side hoping the other blinks first. Fubo wants to pay less for the channels, NBCUniversal wants more money, and subscribers are stuck refreshing news sites hoping for an update.

History suggests these things eventually get resolved – usually right around when a major sporting event is about to happen and neither side can afford the PR disaster. With the NFL playoffs and eventually the Olympics on the horizon, there’s pressure to figure this out. But that could be weeks or months away.

In the meantime, you’ve got to decide what makes sense for your viewing habits. Maybe this is actually an opportunity to cut back on streaming services altogether – radical thought, I know. Or maybe you just shift to Peacock for a while and see how you like it.

The streaming wars were supposed to give us more choices and lower prices than cable. And we definitely have the choices part down. The prices, well, that’s another story entirely. When you add up Peacock, Netflix, Max, Disney+, and whatever else you’re subscribed to, you’re probably paying close to what a cable package used to cost. Just something to think about while you’re weighing your options.

Whatever you decide, don’t let FOMO drive you into a subscription you don’t really need. There’s always a workaround – you just have to figure out which one annoys you the least.