Speed by situation
| What you watch | Steady speed needed |
|---|---|
| One screen in SD | 3–5 Mbps |
| One screen in HD | about 10 Mbps |
| One screen in 4K (any service) | about 25 Mbps |
| Each extra screen at home | add the same again |
"Steady" is the key word: a line that gives 50 Mbps at noon and 6 Mbps at 9 pm is a 6 Mbps line for match night.
Measure on the TV, at the time you watch
Run a speed test on the device you watch on, not on your phone next to the router. Many TVs and sticks have a browser; open a speed test site there. Do it at the time you usually watch, ideally around 9 pm, and do it twice.
Wi-Fi is usually the weak link
- A network cable to the TV beats any Wi-Fi.
- If your router offers a 5 GHz network, use it for the TV: it's faster, though it reaches less far through walls.
- Every wall and floor between the router and the TV costs speed. Moving the router a few metres can change everything.
- In a large flat, a mesh system or a powerline adapter brings a strong signal to the TV room.
What uses your speed while you watch
Downloads, game updates, cloud backups and other people streaming at the same time all share the same line. Before a big match, pause large downloads, or use your router's priority setting (often called QoS) to favour the TV.
If your connection is slow
A slower line can still work well with a lighter stream quality: a steady SD picture beats an HD one that keeps stopping. Send us your speed test result on WhatsApp and we'll suggest the right settings. This is everyday work for us in places like Lebanon.
How much data does it use?
An hour of HD uses roughly 2 to 3 GB. That doesn't matter on unlimited home internet, but on mobile data or a capped plan, a full match can use a big part of your allowance.