A stack of action and medals on the opening two-days hasn’t been enough to assuage Aussie sports fans who’ve reportedly turned on the official broadcaster, Channel Seven.
Seven reportedly paid $150 million to broadcast the Rio Games which included showing the action live on three digital channels and a paid app that it claimed would deliver the most “technologically advanced'” Olympics coverage Australia had ever seen.
At last week’s end of financial announcement Seven’s CEO Tim Worner promised of the coverage: “Seven will create and deliver the most comprehensive, technologically advanced, multi-platform coverage of the Olympic Games to all Australians on any communications device.”
App users pay a $20 premium that was supposed to deliver 24-hour coverage of every event; however, disgruntled fans have flocked to social media to say the app doesn’t work and when it does the commentary is often missing.
One app user wrote to Facebook: “Your mobile app is absolutely woeful. I spend most of my time looking at the load screen. What a waste of $19.95. Don’t promise on something you can’t deliver or fix it quick smart” while another complained, “Can I have my $20 back [for] premium access? So far have been able to watch three mins of event I wanted.”
Fairfax has reported that the broadcaster has responded to complaints about its coverage on social with a blanket response – “We are aware of issues w/ the app & website streams. Tech team is working hard to resolve. Thanks for your patience.”
Meanwhile the Daily Mail has said fans are switching off Seven’s coverage in droves describing the commentary as boring, complaining the coverage doesn’t include enough sports action and there are way too many ads. Olympic fans who woke this morning for some Rio action instead got Kochie and Samantha doing Sunrise and an interview with American actress Blake Lively plugging her new film.
Angry fans have vented their frustrations via Twitter. One person wrote: “The gold medal for the most adverts during the Olympic Games goes to…Channel Seven.”
“‘Channel 7 thanks for ruining the Olympics with copious amounts of ads,” said another while another griped, “I am so annoyed with Channel 7 and how they’ve gone about broadcasting the Olympics. You’d rather show me ads than our athletes.”
