Turner Sports is one of several companies offering refunds to those who experienced technical difficulties during the Phil Mickelson-Tiger Woods pay-per-view match in Las Vegas this past weekend. The event was hosted on Turner’s B/R Live streaming platform but struggled to live up to its pre-match hype.
Some viewers reported being unable to watch the $19.99 pay-per-view match on their televisions. Charter Spectrum, Cox Communications, Dish/Sling TV, and AT&T were among the other media companies to broadcast the event, and also to offer a refund due to B/R Live’s malfunctions. The difficulties forced Turner and Bleacher Report representatives to send out links on social media that directed people to the B/R Live webpage, allowing fans to stream the match for free on computers and mobile devices.
“Prior to the start of the event, we experienced a technical issue with the B/R Live paywall that we tried to quickly resolve,” Turner Sports said in a statement according to The Associated Press. “We decided to take down the paywall to ensure that fans who already purchased the event would not miss any action. This did not impact the live streaming of the competition and fans were treated to an event that was both engaging and memorable. Unfortunately, the pre-match technical issue did occur, and we will offer fans who purchased the event on B/R Live a refund.”
There were more than 500 people waiting online for technical assistance according to the AP. Mickelson won the match over Woods with a birdie on the fourth playoff hole to take home $9 million.
SportTechie Takeaway
B/R Live’s streaming difficulty occurred as a letdown for an event that intended to highlight several tech innovations in sports broadcasting. Turner’s broadcast of the match featured drone camera angles, real-time shot analytics, and predictive data integrations for betting.
While over-the-top streaming is threatening to disrupt traditional broadcasts, the technology is still far from perfect and can malfunction when audience traffic is greater than expected. Last year’s PPV fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor hosted on the UFC’s streaming platform was marred by technical difficulties, prompting a class-action lawsuit against Showtime. Also, Australian company Optus relinquished streaming rights during the World Cup after multiple problems, and streaming giant DAZN has suffered difficulties in several countries.