
Low Latency: How We Accelerated Live Streaming – and What It Takes
While viewers watching traditional TV may already be celebrating a goal, those watching via internet-based television often haven’t seen it yet. Latency – the delay between real-world action and what appears on screen – is one of the most discussed topics in IPTV and OTT services. At ModernTV, we decided to take this issue seriously and significantly reduce the time between the event in the stadium and the viewer’s screen.
Delivering live content over the internet involves several technological steps – from encoding and storage to distribution via CDN and final playback on the end device. Each of these stages naturally adds delay. In standard streaming setups, overall latency typically ranges between 30 and 45 seconds.
Our goal was to reduce this time as much as possible – without negatively affecting stability or the user experience. We’ve managed to bring latency down to 5–7 seconds, which represents a significant shift within IPTV standards. However, this improvement does come with a few trade-offs.
Reducing Latency: Technical Challenges
Implementing low-latency streaming brings several technological challenges:
Shorter Buffer
Using 1.5 or 2-second video chunks results in a playback buffer of only 5 or 7 seconds. This makes the stream more susceptible to interruptions or quality drops in the case of unstable internet connections.
Reduced Compression Efficiency
Shorter chunks require more frequent keyframes, which reduces compression efficiency. The result is approximately 50% lower visual quality at the same bitrate compared to 10-second chunks.
Increased Computational Load
In addition to low-latency live streams, we still need to maintain and process 10-second chunks for features like timeshift and startover. This requires dual transcoding, which increases computational demands and operational costs.
Low latency significantly improves the viewer experience – especially during live sports broadcasts where every second counts. By optimizing each step of the content delivery chain – from encoding to playback – we’re able to offer a faster and smoother streaming experience that meets the expectations of modern audiences and service providers alike.
At ModernTV, we see low latency not as an exception, but as the future standard. And we’re doing everything we can to make sure the picture reaches viewers as quickly as possible – in high quality and with minimal delay.
ModernTV offers a comprehensive OTT ecosystem designed to meet the needs of both B2B multi-tenant setups and direct B2C sales. Our platform provides the flexibility to launch scalable, customized streaming services that can adapt to various business models, whether through partnerships with ISPs, targeted local markets, or direct-to-consumer offerings. With 24/7 expert support and an emphasis on reliability, security, and seamless device compatibility, ModernTV ensures that your streaming service is always running smoothly.
To learn more about how our platform can enhance your business, contact our sales team at sales@moderntv.eu or request a demo.