Buffering right before a decisive goal or final lap is frustrating, yet most freezes come down to local Wi-Fi interference, player decoder settings, or background downloads on your Spark, One NZ, 2degrees, or Mercury Fibre router.
1. Check real download speed at the TV
Run a speed test directly on your TV or streaming stick. Aim for a steady 15 Mbps for Full HD and 25–30 Mbps for 4K UHD.
2. Switch from 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi to Ethernet or 5 GHz
2.4 GHz Wi-Fi suffers heavy interference from neighbouring routers. Plugging in an Ethernet cable or locking onto 5 GHz Wi-Fi immediately improves stability.
3. Switch MPEG-TS to HLS (m3u8) & adjust buffer
Inside your player settings, test switching stream format from MPEG-TS to HLS (.m3u8) and set a small 2–3 second buffer. Clear app cache periodically and reboot your router once a month.
