Match of the delay! 15 million footie fans have missed a crucial goal due to broadcast lag
Nearly 15 million people have had a goal spoiled because the broadcast they were watching was behind the live action[1]
Phone notifications are the biggest culprit, with five million fans getting an alert on their phone before seeing the goal go in[2], while almost three million people have suffered due to radio commentary running ahead of viewing[3]
Noisy fans have wrecked celebrations for four million who heard screams from a nearby pub[4], and a similar amount were alerted by their neighbours’ shouts[5]
More than four in ten people watching the summer’s sport will stream games on a smart TV[6], which can be up to 45 seconds behind the live action[7]
Fans wanting to enjoy the action without any delay should use analogue radio, with digital radio and satellite TV the next best options[8]
Uswitch.com offers tips on how to reduce the lag on live online sport, and improve picture quality when streaming TV shows and films.
Nearly 15 million people have had goals spoiled because the broadcast they were watching was lagging behind the live action[1], according to new research by Uswitch.com, the comparison and switching service.
Most broadcast methods result in delays to the live action, as devices have to decode huge packets of data before it reaches the viewer. The amount of delay varies greatly between different broadcast types, meaning that goals can often be seen several seconds earlier on one device than another.
Five million people have had a game ruined when a phone notification alerted them to a goal before they saw it on the screen[2], while almost three million fans heard a goal on the radio ahead of the broadcast they were watching[3].
Footie fans aren’t even safe in their own living room, with almost four million people hearing about a goal when their neighbours started shouting about it[5]. A similar amount — 4.2 million people — had a goal ruined inside the pub, when celebrations were sparked by footage from another screen[4].
More than four in ten football fans (44%) will watch this summer’s football matches on a smart TV[6]. Almost half of smart TV viewers (47%) have suffered a goal being spoiled, compared to only one in ten (12%) who listen on analogue radio[9].
Analogue radio and TV have almost no delay compared to live action, but the UK’s analogue TV signal was turned off in 2012 to make way for digital TV. The vast amount of data required to send pictures to your television means that the digital TV in your living room has to decode the signal, which takes time.
Satellite broadcasts are further delayed by the time it takes for the signal to travel up to a device in orbit, while the quality of a viewer’s broadband connection adds extra delay to the process for those who are streaming.
Uswitch.com is offering tips on how to reduce the lag when watching live online sport in 4K, and how to improve picture quality when streaming TV shows and films. These include making sure to turn off other internet-enabled devices if you are streaming, and positioning your router closer to the on-screen action.
Catherine Hiley, streaming expert at Uswitch.com, said: “There’s nothing worse than having a gripping football match spoiled by hearing people celebrating a goal before you see it on the big screen.
“If you want to enjoy this summer’s football without any chance of having a goal spoiled, your best option is analogue radio, where the feed is almost instantaneous.
“If all else fails, watch the football on whatever device you have available, but make sure you turn off all other gadgets and keep the windows shut to keep out the cheers from those around you.”
For more information visit Uswitch’s UEFA Euro 2020 page.
Notes to Editors
Opinium surveyed a sample of 2,000 UK adults from 28th June to 1st June 2021, weighted to be representative of the UK population.
1. Respondents were asked ‘When watching live football matches, have you had a goal spoiled due to the broadcast you were watching having a delay over the live action?’ 28% said ‘Yes’. 28% of 55.4 million UK adults is 15.5 million people. 825 respondents out of 1,520 football fans had suffered a delay. 825/1520 = 54.3% of football fans have suffered a delay.
2. Respondents were asked ‘When watching live football matches, have you had a goal spoiled due to the broadcast you were watching having a delay over the live action?’ 9% said ‘Yes - received a goal alert on my phone before I saw the goal go in’. 9% of 55.4 million UK adults is 5.2 million people.
3. Respondents were asked ‘When watching live football matches, have you had a goal spoiled due to the broadcast you were watching having a delay over the live action?’ 5% said ‘Yes - heard a goal on the radio before I saw it go in’. 5% of 55.4 million UK adults is 2.88 million people.
4. Respondents were asked ‘When watching live football matches, have you had a goal spoiled due to the broadcast you were watching having a delay over the live action?’ 10% said ‘Yes - heard people at a pub celebrate a goal before I saw it on the screen I was watching’. 10% of 55.4 million UK adults is 4.27 million people.
5. Respondents were asked ‘When watching live football matches, have you had a goal spoiled due to the broadcast you were watching having a delay over the live action?’ 9% said ‘Yes - heard neighbours celebrate a goal before I saw it go in’. 5% of 55.4 million UK adults is 3.9 million people.
6. Respondents were asked ‘How will you watch / follow Euro 2020 matches?’ 44% said ‘Streaming on a smart TV’. 5% of 55.4 million UK adults is 2.88 million people.
7. Wowza: What Is Low Latency and Who Needs It?
8. Limelight Networks: Sub-Second Latency Streaming & Live Viewer Interactivity Changing the Video Landscape
9. Respondents were asked ‘How will you watch / follow Euro 2020 matches?’ 47% of those who were watching on a smart TV had suffered from a delay.
10. Radioandtelly.co.uk: Digital Time Lag, Time signals and Delays on TV and Radio
11. Haivision: Video Encoding Basics: What is Latency and Why Does it Matter?
About Uswitch
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