Employers banning World Cup streaming due to bandwidth, productivity concerns

You might want to think twice about streaming Friday's quarterfinal matches from your desk at work.

Employers all over the world are cracking down on World Cup online streaming, which they say hogs bandwidth and saps productivity.

Time Inc., in New York advised employees not to stream Tuesday's round of 16 match between the United States and Belgium, asking them to use designated viewing areas in the office.

"The Time Inc. network was severely impacted by users streaming the game to their local workstations," Time's chief technology officer Colin Bodell wrote in an email referring to the United States' group stage match against Germany. "While we understand that everyone wants to support the national team, please do not stream the game over the internet to your local workstation."

Along with bandwidth concerns, businesses in the United States estimate the World Cup could lead to hundreds of millions of dollars in lost productivity during matches. Certain companies like Brazil's branch of General Motors or Chile's state-owned copper production giant Codelco declared holidays during matches and encouraged employees to watch, but some American offices are taking a hard-line approach.

“I tell my staff, ‘The World Cup isn’t paying your wages,’” Brian Summers of Colonial Life said in an interview. “If you want to dodge out for a game, someone else will pick up your sales.”