Welcome back to Sports Poll Highlights, featuring new intelligence from the 30+ years of Sports Poll each week.
Over the past decade, we’ve tracked the fragmentation of media as viewing has shifted from traditional TV to streaming. With more options available to watch than ever before, one of the most powerful questions we ask today focuses on priority. Where do Americans go first when they want to stream something for fun?
For the US population, Netflix is the top choice (chosen by 29% of streamers). It also ranks first across age groups. YouTube ranks second but is far more likely to be the primary destination for younger streamers.
TikTok also skews younger. Americans under 25 are nearly three times more likely to say TikTok is their first choice compared to the population. The results also show how fragmented the streaming landscape is today.
Over one quarter of Americans say a service outside of the top five is their top choice. Netflix is the #1 destination, but of course that means that 70% of the population go to a service other than Netflix first.
The shift to streaming is creating new opportunities and challenges for sports as well. Unlike traditional TV where it’s relatively straightforward for fans to find a game or flip from one channel to another, streaming creates new barriers and paywalls. The odds are far more likely that a fan will find a sports broadcast today when it’s included on one of the primary platforms they use to stream.
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Sports Poll by SSRS is conducted continuously throughout the year and includes a nationally representative sample of more than 24,000 Americans each year.
