There’s nothing worse than watching a nail–biting penalty, only to hear your neighbours celebrating next door before you’ve even seen it being taken.
But with the World Cup now well underway, you’ll be relieved to hear that help is at hand.
Ofcom has released a handy guide to watching the football with as little delay as possible.
According to the regulator, streamed video – such as BBC iPlayer or ITVX – is the worst option.
These platforms might be popular, but they can involve a delay of between 30 and 100 seconds.
In contrast, AM/FM radio is the best option, with a near instantaneous feed.
The only downside with this method? You’ll only be able to hear the action, not see it.
‘Go old–school; because it looks like radio is your friend. With either no delays, or very short ones, either AM/FM or digital radio offer the fastest way to follow the action,’ Ofcom said.
Ofcom has released a handy guide to watching the football with as little delay as possible. According to the regulator, streamed video – such as BBC iPlayer or ITVX – is the worst option
Football fans in the UK have a variety of viewing and listening options available for the World Cup, ranging from radio to streaming.
‘Given the different technologies involved in these platforms, some of them are more immediate than others – and some have slight delays,’ Ofcom explained.
‘For example, when streaming, the content has to be packaged for transmission across the internet, and a moderate amount of buffering must be included, to make sure the receiver has collected enough data so it can play out the audio and video continuously once it’s started.
‘There are also delays in the TV and radio production processes, and in coding the signals to send to the receivers used in different platforms.
‘The actual delay can vary by a significant amount, depending on the platform.’
According to Ofcom, good old–fashioned AM/FM radio is the best option, with no noticeable delay.
Digital (DAB) radio is next on the list, with an average delay of around two seconds, ahead of broadcast TV.
Ofcom explained: ‘Broadcast TV, regardless of whether it’s terrestrial, satellite or cable, means a delay of between five and 20 seconds.’
Football fans in the UK have a variety of viewing and listening options available for the World Cup, ranging radio to streaming. Pictured: fans watch England vs Croatia at Croydon Boxpark
Streamed audio is the second worst option, with an average delay of between 20 and 50 seconds.
Finally, streamed video is the worst option, with viewers experiencing up to 100 seconds of lag.
‘Of course, if you really want to avoid any spoilers, remember to turn off your phone or at least put it on airplane mode…’ the regulator added.
The news comes shortly after a supercomputer revealed which nations are most likely to take home the trophy.
Built by scientists at the University of Liverpool, the supercomputer ran 1,000 simulations to predict every nation’s chance of winning the tournament.
According to the results, Spain is most likely to win, with its probability of glory at 26.1 per cent.
England is next on the list (17 per cent), ahead of France (13.5 per cent), Argentina (12.4 per cent), and Portugal (10.6 per cent).
‘Whilst our model agrees with the bookmakers in making Spain the favourites, Norway emerge as the standout dark horse, with a 3.6% chance of winning the trophy across our simulations,’ said Dr Benjamin Holmes.
What’s more, the supercomputer has also predicted who will claim the coveted Golden Boot.
It suggests that it will be Norway’s Erling Haaland or Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal, who are both predicted to score 5.2 goals across the tournament.
