Test systems
Optus had radically retreated in the middle of this week, give SBS the right to broadcast the rest of the group stage matches because the telecommunications company simply couldn’t guarantee that its technology would work. But it may still broadcast some knockout matches on an exclusive basis, in line with its pre-tournament plans, if it does not return more rights to SBS.
So, with the Optus debacle fresh in the memory and concerns over Australia’s internet infrastructure, does this mean sports will be reluctant to sell their broadcast rights in the future to online providers?
‘Oh my God no,’ said top sports official AFR weekend. “You’re in a situation now where you have to bring the sport to everyone on any platform. That’s just not going to change. But what you’ll find is everyone will come back and test their systems now and will make sure they do. it’s okay.
“Optus will become a case study for us all. Everyone will learn from it and talk about it for years to come. But it won’t stop the sub-licensing of sports (free or pay TV) streaming services). You will simply ensure that your infrastructure will work properly.
Optus CEO Allen Lew… has apologized to customers who had issues with his app during the first week of the World Cup. Dominique Lorrimer
Optus isn’t the only Australian company facing problems.
Foxtel – who will launch a standalone Fox Sports streaming serviceknown within the company as Project Martian, later this year to move closer to its newly acquired cricket rights – had major problems with the release of the latest Game Of Thrones series last July. When the online streaming service collapsed, Foxtel, as Optus did this week, blamed “the unprecedented rush for a subscription just before broadcast”.
Still, in many places abroad, the World Cup has been a relatively smooth online viewing experience. Streaming measurement company Conviva told the British newspaper The independent there was a global streaming audience of 7.7 million for the match between Argentina and Iceland on June 16, in which Messi memorably missed a penalty in a surprise 1-1 draw.
England’s clash against Tunisia three days later saw the BBC attract 3 million viewers across the UK to its iPlayer streaming platform, making it the highest ever live audience for a BBC online programme.
Optus had big problems with its app.
TV consumption is evolving
Global sports are also making big “exaggerated” deals. Earlier this month, Amazon signs a deal to stream select English Premier League matches in the UK on an exclusive basis, while the Professional Golfers’ Association Tour in the US begins a 12-year deal with Discovery to show tournaments to viewers around the world, including Australia. Other sports such as tennis and American football also offer streaming offers for certain games, notably with Twitter and Facebook. Meanwhile, esports events can be streamed to millions of viewers.
In Australia, horse racing has tens of thousands of broadcasts at any one time, although most are spread across various betting sites and social media companies. For example, Twitter helped create 350,000 simultaneous streams for last year’s Melbourne Cup. The AFL and NRL have deals with Telstra, as do football and netball now, and Seven West Media streams dozens of Australian Open tennis matches on its app each year.
This strategy, in which a streaming service complements an existing TV show, is designed to reach viewers anywhere and at any time – not just when they’re parked in front of a TV.
“TV consumption is changing, says Colin Smith, managing director of Global Media & Sports, a sports rights consultancy company. “Among young people there may still be a strong interest in sport, but not necessarily just in sport on television.
The broadcast of the World Cup attracted a large number of viewers on the Internet. Andrei Rudakov
“They’re watching on their phones, their tablets, through catch-up services and other streaming services. Sports need to be aware of this, or their viewership will decline. Losing Millennials from TV is the big problem at hand in the whole world. “
Optus has certainly tried to do this. Although its technological failure will persist for some time, the telco’s entry into the sport marks the start of a new era, not the dramatic end of an experiment.
