Indian football fans fear "live video freezes" after Facebook acquired the live streaming rights for La Liga in the country, according to Gaurav Laghate of the ECONOMIC TIMES. European football has "huge fan bases in India" because of live TV broadcast, which reaches anyone with a TV and basic cable/satellite connection anywhere. La Liga on Facebook may be free, but a viewer will "require a smartphone or a tablet/laptop/computer and will be at the mercy" of the varying data speeds India’s wireless and broadband connections provide. Barcelona fan Richa Mishra said, "It’s a nightmare." The media industry "is not surprised" that Facebook bid for football broadcast rights. The emphasis on sports "is global." Facebook hired former Eurosport and Fox Sports exec Peter Hutton as its head of global live sports programming in January. Hutton said that this is an "experiment" and it will allow the company to study the market. He said, "It is important for us to find the way with changing times." He added that "connectivity has improved over the last two years (in India)." La Liga will be streamed free to Facebook members in India. But many in the sports and media industry said that the "viewing experience may be challenging." Facebook’s streaming can be synced with a TV, provided it is a "high-end smart TV, which still constitute a minority of TV sets in India." Facebook’s app that allows live stream viewing "is not available in India yet" (ECONOMIC TIMES, 8/20).
