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It's not just England who will face a test tonight when they take on Ukraine in a World Cup qualifying match. Industry watchers will be keen to see how the UK's internet infrastructure copes with a potential one million subscribers all logging on and tuning in at the same time to watch.
While supporters may baulk at being forced to pay up to £12 each to see the match - the first ever competitive match to be screened live exclusively via the internet - rights holder Kentaro is reported to be happy with the interest it has attracted so far.
Yet even a limit of one million on subscribers may still see the UK's net infrastructure struggling to cope with demand. According to The Guardian, the online sports firm hired to stream the match has previously only served up to 50,000 viewers for a single match, while the most-watched live sporting event on the web - Andy Murray's Wimbledon semi-final on the BBC site - was only seen by 230,000 people over a four-hour period.
Others have been more optimistic about the chances of success though. Neil Barton, director of web hosting firm Hostway, said that by providing a clear cap on the number of subscribers, the online providers of this match should be able to predict and cope with demand.
"So often we see sites and services on the web go down at launch because the provider has been caught short and not expected so much traffic," he added.
"This shouldn't happen with this screening though as I expect they've ensured they have the capacity to cope with a million users but no more."
Barton said the key to success is to undertake a capacity planning exercise - something they seem to have done.
Whatever happens, this match is yet another clear signal that the future of broadcasting is online. Content providers take note.
10 Oct 2009
