As the first game of the 2018 World Cup got underway, Australians were left with nothing.
UPDATE : Optus announced this afternoon that for the next 48 hours, SBS will be permitted to broadcast all the games Optus had exclusive rights to while the network issues for the telco are sorted out.
The FlOptus hashtag got a workout as angry fans that had shelled out for access to the Optus exclusive coverage took to social media to vent about the failed start to the competition.
After Optus won the exclusive rights to broadcast the event with SBS Australia taking the spot to broadcast all Australian games the industry took stock as this was the first time a Telco had won exclusive streaming rights for Australia.
Collectively, we all believed it could be done since the technology is not new. What could possibly go wrong?
Fast forward to the the first live broadcast and we found out. Reports of thousands of fans getting nothing but messages to try again later or having to endure buffering spiked as the game got underway.
Soccer fans are furious today after they were left unable to watch the World Cup because of streaming issues with Optus. Tech expert @BenAylett discusses on #9LivePerth @9NewsPerth @9Perth pic.twitter.com/V3tZgwrToW
— Tracy Vo (@Tracy_Vo) June 18, 2018
People were left asking “How could this happen?” as Optus PR scrambled to keep their social media pages clear.
Can Optus snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in time to save their name?