Australian fans were "left fuming" on Sunday after Optus' broadcast of the World Cup "failed for the third night in a row," according to Randall, Devic & Alison of the HERALD SUN. Optus Sport offered a "grovelling apology after disruptions to streaming" plagued the Costa Rica vs. Serbia match. Optus CEO Allen Lew previously promised the telecom would "do better" after Saturday night and Sunday morning's "patchy coverage during which many customers reported connection outages." Optus Sport then said in another statement on Twitter, "We are aware that some users are currently experiencing technical difficulties during the Costa Rica-Serbia game. Our tech teams are working urgently to fix this." The telecom in a follow-up tweet "advised users to switch platforms." Those tuning in to watch Sunday's match "were enraged." One user tweeted, "Surely this is the end for @OptusSport." Another tweeted, "Let's all revolt and unsubscribe from Optus until they give the rights back to SBS. End this atrocity #OptusSport." In an "extra kick in the guts" for Optus, punters reported the SBS app "was streaming the games without hiccup" (HERALD SUN, 6/17). In Sydney, Colangelo & McDuling reported Lew said that he did not leave Optus' production studio in Redfern, in inner Sydney, "until the early hours of Sunday morning." He said that Optus did plan for an increase in viewership but claimed the "unprecedented demand" was "even greater than it expected." The main issue with the streaming on Saturday night and Sunday morning reportedly had to do with "problems on the iOS (Apple) Optus app." Optus "is working to fix that problem and is confident of doing so" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 6/17).
