Data: Super Bowl stream delay worse than 2022
February 13, 2023
By Nik Roseveare
Phenix, the video delivery specialist, measured the delays from the field-of-play to streaming services Fubo, Hulu, YouTubeTV, Fox Sports, NFL+ and DirecTV during the 2023 Super Bowl on February 12th as the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in a closely contested encounter.
Phenix’s data showed 54+ second delays across the board for streaming platforms across the US – with some over 20 seconds worse than in 2022.
“Throughout this entire NFL season, users from a variety of streaming platforms have routinely flocked to social media to express their frustration with delays, spoilers, and buffering. To be able to stream the biggest game of the year, platforms must effectively control common streaming risks like changing network conditions, viewing surges, and latency – anything otherwise, is simply not fair to the consumer and does a grave disservice to the NFL,” commneted Roy Reichbach, CEO of Phenix.
“The Super Bowl will be streamed to millions of fans who will chat and text with each other during the game. Unfortunately, with the delays in technology that broadcasters and streaming platforms employ, this interactivity can’t extend far beyond the living room, as it’s supposed to, with fear of spoilers from Twitter or a text from your group chat coming a minute too early. In 2023, there’s no excuse for delays and buffering to impact the viewing experience this poorly, especially for one of the biggest events of the year,” added Jed Corenthal, CMO of Phenix.
Methodology
Phenix collected 167 data points benchmarking latency across six (6) common streaming platforms on a variety of devices and operating systems. For a comprehensive view of latency from the field of play to the average viewer, Phenix benchmarked latency of over-the-air broadcast (OTA), cable and satellite against an individual inside the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Phenix then measured the delay from these benchmarked signals to six (6) commonly used streaming platforms on a variety of devices and operating systems across geographies within the US. By combining these measurements, Phenix is able to provide a more complete picture of the average latency and drift for each of the streaming services behind the action on the field.