By Helen Coster
(Reuters) - Viacom Inc said on Wednesday it will provide programming on fuboTV's live TV streaming service, part of an industry trend of cord-cutting that also has Viacom distributing content through "vitual pay-TV" providers Sling TV, DirectTV Now and Philo.
New York-based fuboTV is a four-year-old streaming service that focused on soccer before expanding into other sports and carrying entertainment programming from networks such as FX and Showtime.
Viacom will include content from its nine core media networks, which include Comedy Central, MTV and Nickelodeon, in fuboTV's base package, "fubo," which costs $44.99 per month. Additional Viacom channels will be available in the premier package, "fubo Extra,"for $49.99 per month.
Disney, AT&T (NYSE:T) and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) are expected to launch streaming services this year. Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA), through NBCUniversal, plans to launch an ad-supported streaming service next year.
In January, Viacom acquired Pluto TV, a free video streaming service, for $340 million in cash in an effort to expand its advanced advertising business.