YouTube TV lowers broadcast delay for live sports

Broadcast delay is an inherent part of any “traditional” TV service, but YouTube TV is now adding a way to lessen that latency on demand.

A new option rolling out to the YouTube TV app on TVs allows users to reduce broadcast delay for 48 hours at a time. Turning down the delay will lessen the time between an event happening and when it arrives on your screen. Google says that it will help “reduce live spoilers.”

The trade-off, however, is that users will have to decide between YouTube TV having a lesser broadcast delay, or having better stability. When the delay is reduced, playback interruptions are “more likely” according to Google which seems to be why this is a temporary measure and not a permanent setting.

The lower the broadcast delay, the less buffer the video player will have. With a lower broadcast delay, you’re more likely to experience playback interruption.

Really, though, this should come as great news to sports fans, as it means YouTube TV won’t be behind other sources for keeping up with live games. Really, it might even be ahead in some cases.

The new option is available in the YouTube TV app under the “More” menu > “Broadcast Delay.” There, you can choose between “Default” and “Decrease for 48 hours.” 9to5Google