Live Sports Streaming Growth Causes Concern for ISPs

Live sports streaming is on the rise, with more Americans turning to streaming platforms to watch their favorite games than traditional TV. In fact, in 2025, 114 million people in the US watched live sports via streaming, compared to 82 million on linear TV. This shift has put a strain on internet service providers (ISPs), who now face unpredictable surges in demand during major sporting events.

According to Netskrt’s State of the ISP Industry Survey, live sports are the biggest concern for ISPs when it comes to streaming reliability. During major events, network traffic can spike by up to 200%, leading to congestion and buffering issues. This means that ISPs need to constantly monitor their networks to ensure a smooth streaming experience for viewers.

For streaming platforms, securing rights to live sports is a big win. Exclusive games help attract subscribers, increase engagement, and allow for premium ad rates. However, with great content comes great responsibility. A single outage during a live stream can lead to backlash and subscriber churn, as viewers tend to blame the streaming platform rather than their ISP.

It’s important for content providers to consider the impact of their distribution strategies on the overall streaming experience. The delivery ecosystem involves multiple players, including streamers, cloud providers, CDNs, and ISPs, all of whom play a role in ensuring Quality of Experience (QoE) for viewers. Collaboration and communication between these parties are key to delivering a seamless streaming experience during live sports events.