USA: 19% of internet households subscribe to ESPN+, and 10% subscribe to NFL+

Parks Associates’ new consumer study, "Streaming Sports: The Fan Experience", offers a comprehensive analysis of how US households are consuming sports content, detailing subscription trends, churn drivers, and interest in various service tiers and interactive experiences. The research of 8,000 US internet households shows ESPN+ is the clear leader in sports-specific streaming services, with 19% of US internet households subscribing to ESPN+ and 10% subscribing to NFL+. Streaming has significantly increased the accessibility of sports, allowing fans to watch events on their preferred devices—whether mobile, smart TVs, or laptops—at their convenience or even while on the go. The study reveals that 33% of U.S. internet households subscribe to a direct-to-consumer (D2C) sports service, highlighting the growing demand for flexible viewing options. Additionally, 43% of these households watch live sports from various sources, demonstrating the continued appeal of real-time events. Age also plays a crucial role in viewing habits, as 70% of sports viewers aged 18-24 watch at least one live game per week, whereas this figure rises to over 87% among those aged 55 and older, indicating a stronger commitment to live sports among older audiences.

Jennifer Kent, VP of Research at Parks Associates: "As more games move to streaming platforms, the traditional sports viewer, or 'Sports Traditionalist,' who watches only via broadcast or pay TV, is becoming a smaller segment of the overall audience," "By Q3 2024, only 8% of consumers in internet households were Sports Traditionalists, with an additional 13% using both traditional outlets and streaming services to watch sports," explained.

With streaming services significantly boosting league revenues, sports organizations will continue exploring innovative ways to distribute games on these platforms. Subscribers to D2C sports apps generally report high satisfaction, with Net Promoter Scores (NPS) comparable to popular streaming services like Prime Video, Disney+, and YouTube TV. Additional highlights from the study:

Finally, The NBA has the most satisfied subscribers among D2C streaming sports services. Two-thirds of streaming sports service subscribers maintained their subscription after the season ended. Of those who cancelled, more than half said they were very likely to re-subscribe.