As sports broadcasts increasingly shift from traditional broadcast and cable TV to streaming platforms, new research suggests fans are reluctant to embrace the change.

According to the latest results from Hub Entertainment Research’s “What’s the Score: The Evolution of Sports Media” survey, fans generally love the convenience of sports streaming, but there are concerns about accessibility and reliability.

The survey shows that while fans believe traditional broadcast and cable networks still deliver sports content better than individual streaming brands, there is significant appetite for more sports on streaming services.

When asked which platform is best for sports broadcasts, 24% of respondents chose network television—more than double the 11% who chose Amazon Prime and nearly triple the number who chose platforms like Hulu or Netflix. However, 59% of respondents chose a streaming platform, highlighting the growing trust in streaming brands due to their established presence in the scripted space.

Despite the enthusiasm, technical problems still exist.

More than a third (37%) of avid sports fans reported common technical issues such as buffering, app crashes, or delays between streaming feeds and network broadcasts. However, these challenges have not dampened enthusiasm significantly. Among fans who experience glitches, 75% still express excitement about more sports becoming available on streaming platforms. This excitement is almost mirrored by those who do not experience such issues: 68% show a positive attitude.

Many fans find the fragmented landscape of numerous streaming services to be an obstacle.

Sixty-nine percent of avid sports fans find it a hassle to use multiple providers to watch the same sport, and 59 percent say it has become more difficult to find the sports they want to watch. Both figures have increased since the first wave of this study six months ago.

Jon Giegengack, director at Hub and one of the study’s authors, noted: “The reputation that streaming brands have built with their scripted content has earned them prestige in the sports space. But that prestige is not without conditions: Network television still benefits from the inertia of familiarity that individual streamers can only achieve with a longer history of success. Plus, fans are already worried that it will be harder to find their sports – a problem that will be even more frustrating with live sports because finding and watching them immediately is crucial.”

Based on interviews with 3,763 U.S. sports fans ages 13 to 74, the Hub study highlights the complexity and teething issues of sports media evolution. As streaming becomes more popular, the business must address these concerns to ensure fans can find and enjoy their favorite sports without frustration.