Streaming services may be given the red card this summer, as bandwidth and connectivity concerns could prevent football fans from watching the tournament online
This year, it’s expected that millions of people will be streaming Euros matches at home – on phones, tablets and via smart TVs, using popular applications such as BBC iPlayer or ITV Player. According to FIFA, during the 2014 World Cup, an estimated 280 million people watched matches online or on a mobile device. Yet, as fans in the UK flock online to witness sporting history this summer, a 2016 survey from Boosty indicates fans could be tearing their hair out as they miss crucial goals and edge-of-the-seat action due to unreliable broadband:
Home broadband shoot-out: It’s the football fanatic versus the Netflix binge watcher. Almost 40% of UK households have five or more connected devices, such as tablets, mobiles, PCs and game consoles. Not everyone will be watching the football, which means family members and friends using the internet simultaneously will be battling for bandwidth, slowing down speeds and reliability for all involved.
Football’s not coming home: 24% of respondents said their broadband is slow and unreliable in the evenings. A further 14% claimed their internet connection is especially bad over the weekend. These are the times when fans will want to enjoy the game from the comfort of their sofas and may be left disappointed if broadband can’t cope with demand.
Keep your Wi-Fi password safe: Broadband has become so integral to the people of the UK that, in the case of an outage, 22% of consumers say they would turn to a Wi-Fi hotspot, or even someone else’s Wi-Fi, such as a neighbour. You could be seeing more of your neighbours than you planned over the summer.
Paul Evans, CEO of Boosty, comments:
“Almost 40 per cent of households now have five or more connected devices competing for internet access at any given time, but dodgy broadband connections mean football fans streaming the Euros could be left sweating.
“Imagine the rage fans will feel if they miss a crucial Rooney penalty due to a frozen screen, or they get the dreaded spinning wheel of death just as Vardy is through on goal.
“With a bumper summer of sport on the way – including Wimbledon and the Olympics – fans need to check today whether their broadband is up to scratch. There’s still time for consumers to invest in a tech fix to boost broadband speed, befriend the nearest neighbour with a satellite dish, or even grab a last minute flight to France!”
Boosty has outlined five steps football fans can take to ensure they don’t miss out on the action during the competition:
1) Test your broadband connection to ensure you’re receiving the speeds you’ve been promised by your service provider. If you’re not getting what you’ve been promised, call your provider get it rectified. If this fails, go to tip 2.
3) Make friends with the neighbours
4) Get on Google and check out local venues showing the game
5) Go to France a get a ticket from a tout – it’s never too late!
