Football and floods top 2024’s internet usage trends

We had our busiest ever period for network traffic during the past year occurring on 4th December 2024, driven by 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 our 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. Our previous traffic peak on 17th September also occurred during live football streaming on Amazon Prime, this time for a Champions League match between AC Milan and Liverpool. This could have been added to with the latest update to popular game Fortnite which also occurred on this date.

Reinforcing the football connection, our October figures show that the largest peak for the month occurred on Tuesday 1st, 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.

Our CEO Richard Tang commented: “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.”

Key dates in 2024 network traffic trends

In addition to football, other major events contributed to notable spikes in network activity:

• 2nd 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.
• 9th 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.

The bigger picture: rising baseline usage throughout 2024

Our review of 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 we 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, our 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.”

We hope that our commitment to delivering a resilient and future-proof network ensures we remain a trusted partner for customers navigating the ever-expanding digital landscape.

Some of our 2024 highlights

In March 2024, we were named the only Which? Recommended Provider for Broadband for the fourth consecutive year, earning top scores in customer service, technical support, communication, and value for money.

In May 2024, we were named the 'Customer Service Brand of the Year' by Which?, recognising our consistently exceptional customer service.

In August 2024, we became one of the first major providers to introduce a WiFi 7 capable router for our full fibre packages and we also announced plans to launch up to 2Gbps broadband services.

In November 2024, we were named Best Broadband ISP by PC Pro for the 21st consecutive year, reflecting our commitment to customer satisfaction and service quality.