[Updated] Some YouTube TV users report Super Bowl buffering or pausing; pixelation issue gets acknowledged

08:33 am (IST): Just about a year later, it seems YouTube TV still hasn’t managed to get a grip on its servers during the Super Bowl. Reports on X suggest that many users are facing issues with YouTube TV buffering or the video quality appearing pixelated.

Fortunately, the company’s support did confirm that they’re looking into the problem:

05:40 pm (IST): Fans watching the Super Bowl LVII on Fox were reportedly ahead of the cable and other streaming services for most of the game.

Furthermore, Fox subscribers appreciated (1, 2, 3, 4) the Sports streaming app for its considerable lag during the match. Here’s how other streaming services performed as compared to Fox and cable.

Original story (published on February 13, 2023) follows:

YouTube TV, the TV service born out of the popular video platform, has been awarded the broadcast rights for NFL and Super Bowl games. However, not everything has gone as smoothly as expected.

Currently, multiple users are dealing with the live stream buffering or pausing. They also report pixelation in the image which notably affects the experience.

According to multiple reports, constant buffering during Super Bowl matches on YouTube TV prevents users from enjoying them since they are constantly pausing every so often.

@YouTubeTV buffering during Super Bowl pregame. Hope you fix this before game time. YouTubeTV perfect all year, two years in a row now we get buffering during the game. Restarted / reinstalled yadda yadda.
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Affected users claim that the problem is not the fault of their internet service, but of the platform.

@YouTubeTV how are you not prepared to handle the streaming of the Super Bowl? The constant buffering is beyond annoying. Losing channels and unable to watch the #SuperBowlLVII without constant buffering, losing a customer here. It’s not my internet service, I know that.
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A YouTube Community Manager on Reddit is asking affected users to share a pic from the ‘Stats for Nerds’ section in this post:

Appreciate the info everyone. If you’re experiencing any frequent buffering when watching the Super Bowl, please post a pic of your Stats for Nerds here, & I’ll ask engineering to look more into this. Thanks in advance.

In addition, there are users reporting pixelation during transmission, significantly affecting image quality.

Wtf is wrong with the #SuperBowl broadcast @YouTubeTV It’s constant pausing and pixeling. This sucks
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Same! Came here to see if we were the only ones
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Fortunately, the YouTube TV team is already aware of this issue and investigating. However, there is no ETA for a fix yet.

appreciate the info! we’re aware of the pixelation issue and we’re looking into it now
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We will update this story as events unfold.

NOTE: You can also check the YouTube bugs/issues tracker.

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