SPORTS fans will finally be able to get around a long-running problem when streaming their favourite competitions on BBC iPlayer.
Many people are turning to streaming, especially when out and about – but there is a major downside to it.
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And that’s the delay.
For most programmes we watch on TV, such as soaps or the latest dramas, a slight delay isn’t an issue.
But when it comes to sport, every second matters – and the last thing you want to hear is the local pub roaring at a goal, or a friend texting you about a result, before you’ve seen it.
Sky has been making significant progress on addressing this for its streamed TV products like Sky Glass, bringing the delay down to 22 seconds.
With Freeview’s streamed successor Freely other broadcasters will have to think about how they can address the problem on their channels.
Fortunately, it’s an issue the BBC is now tackling on iPlayer.
The corporation has started a test for some viewers, depending on the device they’re streaming from.
“The delay on iPlayer has reduced significantly in recent times but is still around 40 seconds,” the BBC explained in a blog post.
“Many streaming services today have similar delays. On our broadcast services the end to end delay is just 8-10 seconds – a significant difference.
“For some content, viewers may not notice, but for live sport and for live events with a social media following, delays can detract from the viewing experience.
“We are aiming to address these delays whilst maintaining a high quality of experience through our work on ‘low latency streaming’.”
For now, the trial will run on the iPlayer stream of BBC Two between 9am and 5pm.
For sports fans, you could notice the difference for major events like Wimbledon and the Women’s Euro 2025 tournament airing on the channel.
The first devices to receive the trial are:
- Amazon Fire TV Stick (3rd generation)
- Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (2nd generation)
- Samsung CU8000 TV
- Samsung CU8500 TV
To benefit from it, you’ll need to switch the “beta” option on in the settings, if it’s available to you.
You can check by going into the settings and looking for iPlayer Beta and selecting On.
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Image credit: Alamy
