Study: Fubo Suffers Slowest Super Bowl Stream For 3 Straight Years; Fubo Responds

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – Follow me on X.

Fubo last Sunday (February 9) experienced the longest streaming delay during the broadcast of the 2025 Super Bowl, according to a study by Phenix, a company which sells technology designed to shorten streaming delays. This is the third straight year that Fubo has delivered the slowest stream during the big game, Phenix says.

The study found that Fubo’s Super Bowl stream was 78 seconds behind the real time action on the field. YouTube TV had the second slowest stream with a 67 second delay. Sling TV was third with 64 seconds behind while DIRECTV Stream was fourth with 63 seconds. Hulu Live was fifth with a 62 second delay while NFL Plus was sixth with 51 seconds.

Tubi, the free ads-supported streaming service owned by Fox, was the day’s winner with a delay of just 26 seconds. The Fox streamer was able to transmit its feed directly from the network while the multi-channel live streamers such as Fubo were forced to use a signal from the network affiliates, which requires more time to transmit.

Live streaming delays have become almost an accepted element these days. Companies need more time to transmit a live stream due to greater technical complexity and other issues. But for Fubo, a company that promotes itself as a sports-first service, the dubious standing of being last for three straight years likely stings.

However, a Fubo spokesperson says that providing a stream without frequent buffering and/or picture freezing is more important than delays.

“Our customers tell us that a stable stream is most important to them,” the spokeswoman told The TV Answer Man. “We do try to reduce latency (delays) as much as possible, but a stable stream is our priority. This is especially important to high traffic events like the Super Bowl.”

Here are Phenix’s results from the 2024 Super Bowl, which aired on CBS and Paramount Plus:

Fubo was 86.75 seconds behind the real time action;
Hulu Live’s was 70.16 second behind;
ViX was 63,46 seconds behind;
NFL Plus was 61.45 seconds behind;
DIRECTV Stream was 60.62 seconds behind;
YouTube TV was 55.54 seconds behind;
Paramount Plus was 42.73 seconds behind.

And here are Phenix’s results from the 2023 Super Bowl:

FuboTV’s stream was 76.73 seconds behind the real time action;
Hulu Live was 69.8 seconds behind;
NFL Plus was 60.70 seconds behind;
DIRECTV Stream was 57.13 seconds behind;
YouTube TV was 54.14 seconds behind.

Have a question about a favorite show, streaming service or new TV product? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com. Please include your first name and hometown in your message.

The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered  television for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.