Which streamer had lowest lag times in last year’s Super Bowl?
Which streamer had lowest lag times in last year’s Super Bowl?
Latency can be a huge drawback for those trying to watch the Big Game, and we’ll tell you which streamers do the best job of cutting lag times here.
With Super Bowl LIX between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles now just days away, it’s time to start figuring out which streaming service you’re going to use to watch. Cord-cutters have a lot of choices for watching The Big Game on Fox this year, but one critical element is choosing a service with low latency – or lag time between the action on the field and when you see it on your screen. After all, you don’t want a big play spoiled for you on social media before you get the chance to see it live! Data from Phenix shows which streaming services do the best job of cutting that lag time, and we’ll share their data below!
Key Details:
- YouTube TV had the lowest average latency of any streamer for Super Bowl LVIII in 2024.
- Fubo viewers were as little as 30 seconds behind the broadcast last year.
- The Fox Sports app was able to reduce latency to almost zero for its last Super Bowl.
The chart from Phenix shows that YouTube TV had the lowest average latency of any live TV streaming service for Super Bowl LVIII in 2024. Audiences were an average of 55.54 seconds behind the real-time action on the field; not a great result, but better than DIRECTV STREAM, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, and other sources that will also be streaming Super Bowl LIX this year.
Click on graphs to expand.
Phenix’s data also digs into the range of lag time that users on the same service experienced while watching Super Bowl LVIII. Fubo had the biggest range of possible outcomes; some viewers saw lag as low as 30 seconds, while others experienced latency of over three minutes.
DIRECTV STREAM and YouTube TV both had customers report latency times of around 40 seconds, while the lowest-latency Hulu + Live TV viewer still had to deal with a delay of at least 50 seconds.
It’s worth pointing out that Phenix’s list doesn’t include the Fox Sports app, which might be the best way to stream Super Bowl LIX this year. In 2023, the last time Fox hosted the Big Game, the Fox Sports app was able to cut latency to almost zero. Viewers can sign into the Fox Sports app and stream Super Bowl LIX there using their TV Everywhere credentials from a host of distributors.
Super Bowl LIX kicks off from New Orleans at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 9 on Fox. Viewers will be able to stream it on DIRECTV STREAM, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV (in a small number of markets), and YouTube TV. The free streaming service Tubi will also carry a live stream of the game.
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DIRECTV
DIRECTV is one of The Streamable’s top choices for the best live TV streaming service overall in 2026, especially for users who want the most channels or want to watch the most live sports. With an unbeatable lineup of local, news, sports, and entertainment channels, three main signature packages, an unlimited DVR, and 20 simultaneous streams at home, DIRECTV remains a premier choice for any cord-cutter.
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Fubo
Fubo is a live TV streaming service offering a robust lineup of approximately 150 premier channels, with plans starting at $63.99 per month. This entry-level package provides access to local broadcast affiliates 18 of the leading 35 cable channels channels, and valuable regional sports networks (RSNs).
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Hulu Live TV
Hulu Live TV is a live TV streaming service with more than 70 channels for $89.99 per month. Hulu + Live TV base plan includes local channels 32 of the top 35 cable channels, and regional sports networks (RSNs). Subscribers get free access to Disney+ and ESPN Select at no extra charge.
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Sling TV
Sling TV is The Streamable’s choice for cord-cutters on a budget. Sling is a live TV streaming service with multiple channel packages. The $45.99/month Sling Orange plan offers about 30 channels, including Disney Channel and ESPN. The $45.99/month Sling Blue plan offers about 40 channels, including ABC, Fox, and NBC in major markets.
You can combine Orange+Blue for a total of $60.99 / month. Sling also offers many channel add-on packages starting at $6/month.
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YouTube TV
YouTube TV is a live TV streaming service with more than 60 channels for $82.99/month. This plan includes local channels 32 of the top 35 cable channels, and regional sports networks (RSNs) in select markets. The base plan includes more than 100 live channels, including major broadcast networks like ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC, as well as popular cable channels such as ESPN, CNN, FX, USA Network, and TNT. Local channels are included in most markets, making YouTube TV a full replacement for traditional cable for many viewers.
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Tubi
Tubi is a free video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 200,000+ movies and TV episodes - more than any other streaming service. Its ad breaks are shorter and less frequent than most free services. Fox executives have called their service “TV on steroids.”
