Streaming Delay Sets The Stakes: An interview with David Dembowski, Streaming TV Architect

If your most forward technologies, your digital and your data platforms, are creating a lag in the real-time experience. Well, that's going to show up in the user experience. - David Dembowski

Football season is here and the NFL is going more global than ever in 2026. But did you know that if you're streaming the game online, you could be almost a minute behind neighbors watching on traditional broadcast? Why is this streaming delay such a massive business problem? In this conversation, David Dembowski joins us to break down live sports streaming and the 5Ds of modern media. During Super Bowl 60, Stats Perform measured delays across platforms: streaming ran up to 62 seconds behind, while broadcast had only a 19-second delay.

The 5Ds And Consumer Delight

Tim Rowe: David, why is the gap between the game and the screen a business problem, and how do we solve it?

David Dembowski: Well, it's a business problem in a lot of ways. One of the things I talk about with customers are the 5Ds. First is being digital first: planning, strategy, and innovation should focus on digital. You couple digital with data, which helps with planning, reach, frequency, targeting, and measurement—outcomes. The third is distribution; multiple platforms consuming the Super Bowl heightens that importance. The next D is discovery: if you can't reach your audience, your work goes by the wayside. The fifth D is delight. At no point in history has the consumer had more power and choice. Today, it's super important for publishers to look through the eyes of the consumer. If your digital and data platforms create a lag in the real-time experience, that shows up in the user experience.

Tim Rowe: We're all consumers at the end of the day. We want to sit down, find the game, turn it on, and watch the same product as friends and family. Let's unpack the other four.

Going Digital First Without Breaking Revenue

Tim Rowe: What does it mean to be digital first?

David Dembowski: Digital first starts with the foundational design of your offering—the infrastructure that ingests data, predicts reach and frequency, and drives outcomes. TV traditionally was a brand play, but today with data and measurement, it is much more of a performance-laden environment.

Tim Rowe: As a publisher transitioning from broadcast to digital first, what are the most common challenges?

David Dembowski: Number one is organizational structure; traditional businesses are set in their ways. Second, they're risk-averse. Most work is directly sold premium inventory—it's not programmatic; you need a one-to-one relationship between agency, brand, and publisher. In tentpoles like the Super Bowl or World Cup, the world tunes in, offering a unique opportunity to reach passionate audiences when they're receptive.

Tim Rowe: For companies like Netflix, is that approach what we expect to see over coming years?

David Dembowski: The divide between being a tech company or a media company is less true today in the advent of Netflix, Prime, YouTube, and YouTube TV.

Data Addressability And The Privacy Line

Tim Rowe: Walled gardens make data central. How does that tie into the 5Ds?

David Dembowski: Addressability is super important. You want to serve the right ad to the right household, and the more you know about them, the better you deliver a personalized experience. It's a thin line between personalization and privacy, but consumers are willing to give up a little for a seamless advertising experience. There's value in serendipity—the ability to anticipate. Using research to identify audiences allows you to buy targeting, and outcomes are key: who did I reach, how did they perform, and what outcome did I drive?

Tim Rowe: Emily Williams from MRI Simmons noted that 90% of Instagram users shop on Amazon, and 50% of Amazon shoppers watch Hulu. Oftentimes we think we're adding channels and adding incremental audience when really we're not, missing those serendipity and delight moments.

Distribution Partnerships And Walled Gardens

David Dembowski: That's the third D: distribution. NBC Peacock recently announced their partnership to distribute on YouTube. Younger audiences rely heavily on YouTube for entertainment, so you meet the consumer on their preferred platform. Walled gardens were content distribution through certain channels, and those walls are coming down through generational viewership and leadership.

Tim Rowe: My son defaults to YouTube. How are organizations thinking about serving multiple generations?

David Dembowski: It comes down to distribution partnerships and revenue sharing. Look at sports: YouTube TV's relationship with the NFL versus YouTube's relationship with FIFA provide ancillary content and improve the experience.

Discovery Barriers And Streaming Access

Tim Rowe: Discovery is a massive challenge. How important is discovery, and how do we solve it?

David Dembowski: Ubiquitous distribution is first; universal discovery is the next problem publishers need to solve. For example, Apple TV does a Friday night doubleheader for MLB; if your team plays, you must subscribe that night to get access. Fox's acquisition of Roku also allows Fox to leverage Roku's operating system and household penetration to promote programming and enable better discovery.

Winners, Trends, Watch Parties, And Betting

Tim Rowe: Roku didn't have content, but Fox's acquisition solves that overnight alongside distribution. Who's winning and who's losing?

David Dembowski: Consumers win by paying for what they want rather than being burdened by steep MVPD costs. Distribution companies win with more content access. On the media company side, Prime is innovative: injecting a linear-like experience into Thursday Night Football benefited everyone. Amazon's partnership with the NBA doubled national games from 75 to nearly 150, opening a new audience and bringing upwards of 30 new advertisers to TV.

Tim Rowe: What other trends are you seeing?

David Dembowski: Viewing parties. Because stadium seats are limited and expensive, people want a shared viewing experience, which was prominent during the World Cup. Another trend is latency affecting sports betting: if a platform is running behind, are you unable to make a halftime bet? Understanding that relationship between real life and platform experiences is critical.

Want to watch or listen to the entire conversation?

Listen to the full podcast HERE