Live sports continue to be a major draw for viewers of streaming video on demand platforms. This is according to Antenna’s Q4 2025 “State of Subscriptions” report, which focuses on sports and streaming. The report delves into how sports programming impacts subscriber acquisition, retention, and overall engagement across various streaming services.
The analysis includes data from virtual multichannel video programming distributors (vMVPDs), league-specific offerings, and regional sports networks. Antenna scrutinized subscriber data following the launches of direct-to-consumer ESPN and Fox One, which previously represented exclusive sports content on pay TV. The company assessed trends in vMVPDs to determine if these launches affected cord-cutting trends.
From launch through the end of October, Antenna estimates approximately 3 million cumulative sign-ups for ESPN and 2.3 million for Fox One. These numbers exclude existing Disney subscribers who switched from other plans or users activating service through a multichannel video programming distributor partnership. Of those subscribing to ESPN’s offerings, Antenna discovered that over half – roughly 1.7 million – opted for the new ESPN Unlimited plan, with the rest selecting ESPN Select, the renamed ESPN+ tier. Fox One, featuring entertainment, news, and live sports, experienced significant growth in October, with over 1.1 million sign-ups during that month.
The report indicates that sign-ups to vMVPDs declined to 4.7 million in Q3 2025, marking a 12% year-over-year decrease. However, the category experienced a seasonal rise in September, coinciding with the return of major sports leagues. YouTube TV, holding exclusive rights to NFL Sunday Ticket, increased its market share to 44% in the quarter, up 6 percentage points year-over-year. NFL-specific streaming services also showed notable growth. Antenna estimates 3 million subscribers to NFL+ and 2.1 million for NFL Sunday Ticket during Q3 2025. Compared to the same period in 2024, NFL Sunday Ticket subscriptions increased by 37%, while NFL+ subscriptions grew by 22%.
As stated in the original article, "Live sports continue to play a significant role in streaming video-on-demand..." This trend underscores the importance of sports content in the evolving streaming landscape.