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Sports stream buffering or black? A checklist that fixes most problems
By the MethStreams editors · Published
Live sports streams fail in a few common ways: endless buffering, a black screen, sound without picture, or a stream that runs well behind the real game. Most of these have quick fixes. Work through this list in order, since the first steps solve the majority of problems.
1. Try the next link
Every game page on MethStreams lists as many as three links. They are separate players and often carry different broadcasts. When the first link buffers twice, return to the game page and try the second. This fixes more problems than everything else on this list combined, because the fault is usually with that one player, not with your device.
2. Reload the player
A player that froze once will often run fine after a reload. If the sound keeps going but the picture has stopped, a reload almost always brings the picture back.
3. Close other video
Each video tab uses part of your connection, even in the background. On a phone or a busy home network, closing other tabs and apps that play video can be the difference between a smooth stream and a stuttering one. Downloads and game updates running in the background have the same effect.
4. Check your VPN
Some players refuse to load over some VPN servers. If a player stays black or shows an error, connect to a different VPN location and reload. If that does not help, pause the VPN for that one tab and try again. A VPN server close to you is usually faster than one on another continent.
5. Update the browser
Players are built for current browsers. An out-of-date browser can fail to play a stream at all, or play it with no sound. Updating takes a minute and solves a surprising number of black screens.
6. Check the time
A link that shows nothing may simply be early. Many broadcasts start shortly before the game. Our game pages show the start in the time zone set on your device, so check it before assuming a link is broken. For fight cards and boxing, the main event can be hours after the listed start.
7. Come back in a few minutes
Links keep arriving after kickoff or tip-off. When everything on a game page fails, wait a few minutes, refresh, and look for a link that was not there before.
When the stream is behind
All live streams run a little behind the real action, and some run more than others. If scores on your phone are ahead of your picture by a minute or more, the next link may be closer to live. Reloading also helps, since a player that buffered several times keeps building up delay.
A note on the players
MethStreams only points to players; the video sits on other people's websites, and so do any ads around it. A fault inside one of those players is out of our reach. What we can do is give you another link, and that is the reason most game pages carry more than one.
Ready to try again? The schedule for every sport is on the home page.
Quick answers
Why does a stream work for my friend but not for me?
Players can behave differently by location, browser and connection. Some also refuse certain VPN servers. Trying another link or another VPN location usually sorts it out.
Should I keep waiting when a stream buffers?
Not for long. If it buffers twice in a row, switching to the next link is usually faster than waiting.
Does MethStreams host the video?
No. Each link leads to a player on a different site. MethStreams lists games and links and keeps no video.
