Connection Induced Rebuffering Time

Rebuffering occurs when the video stalls during playback and the viewer must wait for the video to resume playing. Viewers typically see a spinning wheel on screen when rebuffering occurs. Frequent rebuffering is a major source of poor QoE and often leads to audience abandonment.

Updated 2026-07-23 connection-induced-rebuffering-time

Connection Induced Rebuffering Time (CIRT) shows total the nonseek rebuffering time that occurred in the specified interval. This metric is available as a KPI measurement threshold for high rebuffering in the Streaming Performance Index (SPI) metrics, configured on the Overview dashboard.

The playTime is the total time during which the reported player-state is "playing" (P1, P2, P3, P4). CIRT is the total time during which the reported player-state is in "non-seek rebuffering" (R2). The "non-seek rebuffering" or CIRT does not include buffering time before the first frame of a video is displayed, buffering during user-initiated seeks (S1), buffering that starts within 10 seconds after a user-initiated seeks ends (R1), and any paused time.

Buffering that starts during seek or up to 10 seconds after a seek ends is counted as seek-induced rebuffering (R1). Seek-induced rebuffering can continue as long as the player state remains in a seek-induced rebuffering state. Buffering that starts more than 10 seconds after a seek ends (S2), it is counted toward CIRT (R2). 

CIRT helps determine the impact of Connection Induced Rebuffering (CIR). CIR occurs when video playing outpaces the rate of buffering and the player needs to wait for the buffer to refill due to nonseek or system-induced rebuffering. A high Connection Induced Rebuffering Ratio (CIRR) or a significant increase in the CIRT can be an indication of declining overall network performance and the likelihood of viewer abandonment. 

Note: Zero CIRR Ended Plays % measures the percentage of ended plays which had zero connection induced rebuffering.

Connection Induced Rebuffering Ratio is available as metric and distribution to help diagnosis rebuffering issues.

If a session has continuous non-seek re-buffering for 90 seconds, the play is treated as expired. Conviva VSI Video reports the Connection Induce Rebuffering Time (CIRT) for the expired session as zero due to the session expiration, and reports the session as a Connection Induced Interrupted Play due to the rebuffering.

For more metric definitions, see the Metric Dictionary.