December 4 was the busiest ever day for network broadband traffic according to Zen Internet, thanks to live football streaming. The surge in usage reached a peak 17% higher than 2023’s record and 10% above the average for a typical December evening. This milestone also marked a 4% increase over Zen’s previous recorded high in September.
The record-breaking spike coincided with Amazon Prime’s live Premier League coverage, including the highly anticipated clash between Arsenal and Manchester United. Zen’s previous traffic peak on 17 September also occurred during live football streaming on Amazon Prime, this time for a Champions League match between AC Milan and Liverpool. This could also have been added to with the latest update to popular game Fortnite which also occurred on this date.
Reinforcing the football connection, October’s figures show that the largest peak for the month occurred on Tuesday 1, another live Champions League night on Amazon Prime. Arsenal vs Paris St. Germain helped drive an 11.95% increase in traffic over the previous day.
Zen CEO Richard Tang said: “This trend of surging traffic during Amazon’s live football broadcasts underscores their widespread appeal. Matches available to Amazon Prime subscribers at no additional cost draw far larger audiences than traditional pay-per-view options, solidifying live sports as a major driver of network demand.
“Conversely, England’s advance to the final of the European Championships (Euros) this summer barely moved the dial on Zen’s network statistics. It seems that most people still prefer to watch football on terrestrial channels when it’s possible to do so, even when streaming is also available.”
In addition to football, other major events contributed to notable spikes in Zen’s network activity:
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2 November : Daytime traffic soared over 20% above average as floods in Valencia and Kemi Badenoch’s election as Conservative Party leader dominated the news cycle.
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9 July : A sharp rise in traffic followed distressing news from the Gaza conflict, reflecting heightened engagement with news sites and social media.
Interestingly, 2024’s network patterns reveal a shift away from video games and gaming-related content as dominant traffic drivers. Unlike in previous years, no significant peaks were attributed to game launches, likely due to staggered release strategies prioritising pre-orders and phased rollouts.
Zen’s review of its 2024 data also highlights a consistent growth in internet traffic throughout the 12-month period, reflecting the global trend of increased internet usage (17.2%), while it also marked surpassing 200,000 broadband subscribers in April.
December’s average usage was 6.4% higher than November’s, reflecting the seasonal impact of longer nights and colder weather. Yet even summer saw significant increases and on 13th June, Zen’s network usage exceeded 2023’s highest peak by 5.4%.
Tang added: “Live football streaming and significant news events have clearly influenced our network peaks this year. However, the broader trend is one of sustained growth in baseline usage. As a nation, we are increasingly reliant on internet-connected services and devices, and Zen customers can rest assured that our ongoing investments in next-generation infrastructure mean we’re well-prepared for whatever 2025 brings.”