The NWSL "has had problems surrounding its live streams since the league's inception" in '13, and while streams "have improved and the vast majority of NWSL live streams this year have worked, there have been a few notable instances of streams failing," according to Jamie Goldberg of the Portland OREGONIAN. A recent example was the Aug. 12 Portland Thorns-FC Kansas City, which saw more than 2,000 fans tune in to YouTube for the live stream, but "less than 30 minutes into the match, the stream stopped working." When the stream cut out, that number "dropped to less than 400 and didn't rebound when the stream started working again toward the end of the game." NWSL Commissioner Jeff Plush said, "We're talking internally about it right now and we're talking externally to experts in the field to understand all of the issues involved and how we can do a better job." Goldberg noted while NWSL teams "have seen increased attendances and interest" since this summer's FIFA Women's World Cup, having live streams "cut out mid-game at a time when the league is becoming more visible is a problem." Part of the problem is that the way clubs stream "varies from venue to venue." NWSL clubs "use different types of equipment, deal with varying network bandwidths, face different issues at their stadiums and use camera people with different levels of experience." Plush said that the league is "looking at ways that it can better invest in the infrastructure at all its venues to ensure that live streams are consistently working well." But he added that changes "would not happen immediately" (Portland OREGONIAN, 8/20).
