Misc
Sports Streaming Interest in the U.S. by State
Sports Streaming Interest in the U.S.
The global streaming revolution is well underway, and sports streaming is no different.
In 2022, 85% of Americans had a streaming account and 58% had more than one. And with old exclusive cable deals winding down, sports streaming interest has grown from both consumers and providers, including sports leagues, streamers, and cable providers.
This graphic from ExpressVPN provides an overview of sports streaming interest in America by using Google Trends data to examine the most searched-for sports.
Sports Streaming Search Trends
Examining the frequency of streaming sports queries reveals both important sporting events and the effects of COVID-19.
From 2017 to 2021, some of the notable and recurring spikes in sports streaming interest occurred around the following dates:
- Early January to Mid-February, coinciding with the NFL playoff season and the Superbowl.
- Early June, coinciding with the NBA and NHL finals playoffs and the UEFA Champion’s League final.
- Early September, coinciding with the start of the NFL regular season, and cascading into October for the start of the MLB playoffs and NBA and NHL regular seasons.
One major exception? The end of August in 2017 saw the largest spike in searches, likely for the professional boxing match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor. Illegal streams alone reached nearly 3 million viewers.
And of course, interest in 2020 bottomed out in March during the start of the pandemic, picking back up in July once the first sports leagues restarted.
Sports Streaming Popularity by States and Hot Dates
From 2017 to 2021, soccer, basketball, and football saw notable surges in streaming interest.
With football and baseball long considered as America’s favorite pastimes, the uptick for soccer is especially notable. The sport’s popularity in the U.S. has tripled in the last decade, which may continue to climb as the 2026 World Cup will be hosted in North America.
But when looking at the most popular sport in all 50 states by streaming interest, football and basketball came out on top.
State | Top Searched Sport |
---|---|
Alabama | 🏈 Football |
Alaska | 🏈 Football |
Arizona | 🏀 Basketball |
Arkansas | 🏀 Basketball |
California | 🏀 Basketball |
Colorado | 🏀 Basketball |
Connecticut | 🏀 Basketball |
DC | 🏀 Basketball |
Delaware | 🏀 Basketball |
Florida | 🏈 Football |
Georgia | 🏈 Football |
Hawaii | 🏈 Football |
Idaho | 🏀 Basketball |
Illinois | 🏀 Basketball |
Indiana | 🏀 Basketball |
Iowa | 🏀 Basketball |
Kansas | 🏀 Basketball |
Kentucky | 🏀 Basketball |
Louisiana | 🏈 Football |
Maine | 🏀 Basketball |
Maryland | 🏀 Basketball |
Massachusetts | 🏈 Football |
Michigan | 🏈 Football |
Minnesota | 🏒 Hockey |
Mississippi | 🏈 Football |
Missouri | 🏀 Basketball |
Montana | 🏈 Football |
Nebraska | 🏈 Football |
Nevada | 🏀 Basketball |
New Jersey | 🏀 Basketball |
New Mexico | 🏀 Basketball |
New York | 🏀 Basketball |
North Carolina | 🏀 Basketball |
North Dakota | 🏀 Basketball |
Ohio | 🏈 Football |
Oklahoma | 🏈 Football |
Oregon | 🏈 Football |
Pennsylvania | 🏀 Basketball |
Rhode Island | 🏀 Basketball |
South Carolina | 🏈 Football |
South Dakota | 🏀 Basketball |
Tennessee | 🏈 Football |
Texas | 🏈 Football |
Utah | 🏈 Football |
Vermont | 🏈 Football |
Virginia | 🏀 Basketball |
Washington | 🏀 Basketball |
West Virginia | 🏀 Basketball |
Wisconsin | 🏀 Basketball |
Wyoming | 🏀 Basketball |
By number of states, basketball takes the first spot. 30 states including California and much of the Northeastern U.S. searched for NBA streams above other sports, reflecting the rising success of the league.
Football was second, with NFL stream searches leading in 19 states including Texas and Florida. But in terms of overall popularity, searches for NFL streams were still more popular than NBA streams in both 2017 and 2021.
The sole standout was Minnesota, which searched for NHL streams above all other sports.
TV’s Influence on Sports
Another factor to consider in sports streaming interest is the influential effect of other popular content.
For example, search interest for Formula 1 streams spiked alongside the introduction of the Netflix documentary on the sport, Drive to Survive. Likewise, the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit led to record-breaking interest in chess.
And as sports executives know all too well, having overly entertaining or charismatic individuals can also spark attention. Muhammad Ali had an oversize impact on boxing. Tiger Woods causes ratings and attendance for golf events to skyrocket.
What events, or people, will be the next to drive sports streaming interest in the U.S.? And which sport will benefit?

This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.
Energy
Mapped: The World’s Most Critical Oil Chokepoints
As Israel and Trump weigh future strike scenarios on Iran, we map the Strait of Hormuz and its vital role in the global oil market.

Why the Strait of Hormuz is a Vital Oil Chokepoint
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
Key Takeaways
- Roughly a fifth of global oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, the second-largest oil chokepoint in the world.
- As tensions flare in the Middle East, any closure to the Strait of Hormuz could cause oil prices to spike to up to $130.
- The U.S. has imposed sanctions on Iranian oil, in efforts to exert pressure on the regime.
The total volume of oil passing through the Strait of Hormuz stands around a staggering $600 billion.
While a blockade of the strait is considered a distant possibility, its closure could ripple across global supply chain networks. In particular, Japan, China, and India would be impacted the most. Furthermore, a shock to oil prices would likely affecting production costs, in turn raising the price of consumer goods.
This graphic shows the most vital oil transit chokepoints, based on data from MUFG.
The Strait of Hormuz and Oil Trade Flows
Below, we show how the Strait of Hormuz sees the second-highest volume of oil passing through its corridor globally:
Location | Million Barrels per Day in 2023 |
---|---|
Strait of Malacca | 23.7 |
Strait of Hormuz | 20.9 |
Suez Canal & SUMED Pipeline | 8.8 |
Bab el-Mandeb | 8.6 |
Cape of Good Hope | 6.0 |
Danish Strait | 4.9 |
Turkish Straits | 3.4 |
Panama Canal | 2.1 |
In 2023, 20.9 million barrels of oil flowed through the Strait of Hormuz, which lies between Iran and Oman.
Iran largely controls this waterway, where 20% of global oil consumption is transported across this shipping route. In response to Israel-Iran conflicts, oil production surged by 950,000 barrels per day in June—largely driven by Saudi Arabian output.
While tensions have recently flared between Israel and Syria, it remains to be seen if conflict will resurface with Iran. Earlier in July, Israeli officials met with Trump to discuss certain scenarios that would justify a future attack on Iran—including the resumption of nuclear enrichment activities.
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