Technology advancements have affected the 2014 FIFA World Cup, particularly the global viewing experience. Broadcast and streaming services during this year's soccer tournament are expected to be available on up to 5.9 billion screens worldwide.

According to Ovum, personal computers, smartphones and tablets have proved to be alternatives to traditional television viewing. Soccer fans, however, prefer the larger-screen experience, which is evident why television is still the favored choice to watch the World Cup, regardless if it's terrestrial, cable or satellite.

Mobile devices still plays a "crucial" role with events such as the World Cup.

"Devices capable of streaming live and on-demand video -- of which there now 4.7 billion -- are providing additional viewing opportunities outside the appointment viewing taking place in people's living rooms," said Ovum Senior Analyst Tom Hall.

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Smartphones and tablets have also served as the go-to devices for updates. The study "2014 World Cup: A Global Mobile Perspective," from Interactive Advertising Bureau, revealed 49 percent of respondents using smartphones to follow the World Cup ahead of 63 percent for television. Smartphone and tablets were popular, after television, due to being at work or commuting.

Streaming the World Cup, or similar major events, on connected devices could be a risk. Hall noted supplying the demand for programming with "minimal technical hiccups" may be a "paramount concern."

"Having set consumer expectations for TV everywhere, providers must now deliver on the promise of their offerings, as failure to do so can result in bad press and, more importantly, frustrated fans," Hall added. "While viewing live events online is improving, there is some way to go before it can compare with the reliability traditional TV distribution offers for the largest audiences."

As Latin Post reported, the 2014 World Cup is a testing pad for 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) broadcasting. The BBC announced it will broadcast three World Cup games on 4K UHD, which is four times the resolution of 1080p HD video. As Investor Place noted, 4K is a "digital cinema standard that delivers a 4096 x 2160 resolution."

Hall, however, was skeptical with the 4K technology, stating it's "far from ready for home viewing, with holes in the transmission part of the ecosystem meaning that it will be some time before audiences of any significant scale will be watching UHDTV content in their living rooms."

The success of the 4K UHD broadcasting may be important ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. In the 2010 World Cup from South Africa, FIFA supported 3DTV technology but dropped those plans for this year's soccer tournament. Hall referred the World Cup's 3DTV as a "spectacular failure."

For more Latin Post World Cup coverage, click here.

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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.