The first minutes of DC United's match against NYCFC were not seen by fans at the team's official watch partyGETTY IMAGES
DC United's first game with new primary broadcast partner FloSports "hit a number of snags," as the experience "was disappointing" for fans who invested time and money into the service, according to Jake Russell of the WASHINGTON POST. At DC United's official watch party yesterday, fans "missed the first minutes" of the team's draw against NYCFC. DC United's official Twitter feed was posting from Sunday's match "using images from YES Network," the broadcast partner for NYCFC. DC United co-Chairs Steve Kaplan and Jason Levien released a statement yesterday saying that they were "deeply disappointed." The statement said, "We are taking these issues very seriously and find the problems encountered unacceptable. ... In the coming days we will be working with FloSports to ensure this does not happen again" (WASHINGTON POST, 3/11). PRO SOCCER USA's Emily Olsen noted some fans took to Twitter "minutes after kickoff to vent about their feeds not working." The Austin-based streaming service's feed was "interrupted as many as six times." Viewers reported via social media that FloSports had "better service during the second half." FloSports said in a statement, "The issue was resolved but we apologize for any inconvenience. When the issue was fixed interruptions may have resulted." The company also "provided a link for customers to submit comments" (PROSOCCERUSA.com, 3/11).
JUST GO WITH THE FLO: SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL's Ian Thomas reports FloSports has "signed a two-year media rights deal with FC Cincinnati," their second MLS deal. FC Cincinnati had previously signed a two-year deal with Sinclair Broadcasting Group-owned WSTR-TV to "distribute its non-nationally televised games over the air in the Cincinnati market." FloSports will now have the "digital broadcast rights to the club's matches in the Cincinnati media market, as well as exclusive broadcast rights in the markets of nearby Dayton, as well as Lexington and Louisville." FC Cincinnati President & GM Jeff Berding said that the club would be "receiving a rights fee from FloSports and control advertising for its over-the-air broadcasts" (SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL, 3/11 issue). In Austin, Chris Bils notes while a FloSports subscription costs $150 per year, DC United fans "received an email for a discounted subscription" as part of the club's deal with the provider. However, FloSports VP/Global Rights Acquisition Mike Levy said that that "won't be the case" for FC Cincinnati fans (STATESMAN.com, 3/11).
