The Seton Hall Sports Poll’s (SHSP) most recent poll has delved into the sports viewing habits of Americans and the reality of watching sports in 2025. From the first pitch of the MLB season to the last down of the Super Bowl, the SHSP projects big changes for the world of sports soon.
The shift to sports streaming: attracting young and avid fans to the NFL
For the first time in history, half of the general population (51%) reported that they watched the NFL via subscription-based streaming. The NFL has traditionally been a product of conventional television, but with subscription-based streaming services like YouTube TV and Netflix securing broadcasting rights for the NFL, this notion is likely to change soon.
Graphic and statistics via Seton Hall Sports Poll
Specifically, the biggest streaming groups were NFL fans (71%), avid fans (85%), and young fans (59%), all of whom consumed NFL content through streaming services. One in every four Americans (26%) also paid for monthly subscriptions to streaming services like Peacock, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Paramount, and NFL Ticket solely to watch an NFL game.
Even more noteworthy is the percentage of the population that kept their subscription after the NFL season: nearly four in every five Americans (79%).
Full-game viewership is not going extinct…yet
Social media has evolved to be a staple platform for sports content, with full-game highlights being produced and posted online within minutes of a game’s conclusion. Even with the rise of social media sports consumption, traditional full-game viewership remains preferred, with 44% of the general population still watching games in their entirety.
“While the dominant narrative is that full game viewership is passe, our data shows otherwise,” said Dr. Daniel Ladik, marketing professor in the Stillman School of Business and methodologist for SHSP. “Most Americans and all subgroups tracked in the Poll prefer to watch their favorite team’s game in its entirety, by a two-to-one margin, compared to just following on social media or seeing highlights on TV.”
Though the death of the full-game telecast viewership is not as true as many believe, social media and highlight viewership have indeed grown. Social media and online highlight viewing account for 26% and 20% of respondents, respectively.
Graphic and statistics via Seton Hall Sports Poll
A “sports desert” or oasis?
Although the period between the conclusion of the NFL season and the return of the MLB in the spring is often called a “sports desert,” this interval between the two sports is the perfect time for other sports to take center stage.
Graphic and statistics via Seton Hall Sports Poll
For the general population, the main events viewed during this gap are the NBA All-Star Weekend (25%) and several professional soccer leagues, including the UEFA Champions League, English Premier League, La Liga, MLS, and NWSL, all of which drew between 7% and 22% viewership, respectively.
Graphic and statistics via Seton Hall Sports Poll
Sports fans also place NBA All-Star weekend at the apex of “sports desert” programming with 34% tuning into the new tournament format, followed by the UEFA Champions League and March Madness, both at 28%.
During this interval between the NFL and MLB seasons, other sports battle to capture the attention of the general population. F1 (16%), the Daytona 500 (15%), NCAA Men’s (22%) and Women’s March Madness (13%), and UFC (17%) still compete for the attention of the public, despite 29% of all respondents watching none of the “sports desert” programs.
With analysis still ongoing for the Sports Poll, these only reflect a few trends that have emerged in sports viewership. The SHSP is currently preparing its next questions relating to NIL, NCAA March Madness, the MLB, and other pressing topics in the world of sports.
For the numbers and original questions behind these and other sports insights, visit the SHSP Website.
Christian Hui is a writer for The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at christian.hui@student.shu.edu.
