Separately billed The Athletic subscribers held live-sports streaming at twice the bundle-only rate
Share with at least one external live-sports streaming receipt, August 17, 2025–August 17, 2026
Share with live-sports streaming
Source: YipitData U.S. e-receipt panel. Separately billed The Athletic subscribers n=961; New York Times bundle-only subscribers receiving The Athletic n=3,851. Subscribers with both were assigned to the separately billed cohort.
Chart data
| Series | Share with live-sports streaming |
|---|---|
| Separately billed The Athletic subscribers | 50.2% |
| New York Times bundle-only subscribers | 23.8% |
Which live-sports services had the widest gaps?
ESPN overlap was 34.6% among separately billed The Athletic subscribers versus 15.6% among bundle-only subscribers. NFL+ or Sunday Ticket reached 11.8% versus 4.1%, NBA League Pass reached 8.0% versus 2.0%, and MLB.TV reached 7.8% versus 2.0%.
Netflix overlap was nearly identical across The Athletic cohorts
Share with a Netflix receipt, August 17, 2025–August 17, 2026
Share with Netflix
Source: YipitData U.S. e-receipt panel. Separately billed The Athletic subscribers n=961; New York Times bundle-only subscribers receiving The Athletic n=3,851. Netflix provides a general-entertainment comparison.
Chart data
| Series | Share with Netflix |
|---|---|
| Separately billed The Athletic subscribers | 39.8% |
| New York Times bundle-only subscribers | 39.5% |
Was the live-sports difference just broader streaming activity?
The Netflix rates were effectively the same at 39.8% and 39.5%. Overlap with any general-entertainment streamer was closer as well, at 75.2% for separately billed subscribers and 68.1% for bundle-only subscribers. The much larger live-sports gap was therefore not mirrored in the general-entertainment comparison.
Assumptions & Methodologies
We analyzed our U.S. e-receipt panel from August 17, 2025–August 17, 2026. Separately billed The Athletic subscribers had an Apple, Google, or New York Times-billed Athletic receipt; bundle-only subscribers had a New York Times All Access line naming The Athletic but no separate Athletic receipt. The cohorts had 961 and 3,851 panelists observed throughout. Overlap required at least one external-service receipt. The static, self-selected cohorts do not establish sequence or causality. Anyone with a separate The Athletic receipt was classified as separately billed, even if they also had the New York Times bundle, so measured bundle-only overlap may be understated.