Poll Finds Sports Fans Increasingly Upset that Games are Going into Paywalled Services

Sports fans are growing increasingly annoyed that their favorite games are being shown behind paywalls, and they are crying foul over the trend.

A new Fox News survey of sports fans finds that they are getting fed up with the rush to spread games and events onto Internet streamers and services.

The survey shows that 72 percent of sports fans and 60 percent of those who say they are not sports fans feel that sporting events should be required to remain on free broadcast television, not locked behind paid streaming services. Only 27 percent of sports fans and 38 percent of non-fans said that games going behind paywalls is fine with them.

The paywall issue is so vexing to fans that nearly 6 in 10 sports fans say they are skipping games rather than subscribing to a streaming service. One-third replied that they had done this multiple times.

Nearly half, 47 percent, also said they skipped games or events because it was too difficult to find out where they were being shown, and they gave up looking for them. On the other hand, 46 percent said the diverse services have not stopped them from finding their favorite teams and events.

The survey, taken between March 20–23, 2026, sampled 1,001 registered voters, 73 percent of whom said they were sports fans. Results among sports fans have a sampling margin of error of ±3.5 points, and among non-sports fans, ±6 points.

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