Nearly 90% of the reviews of Amazon's US Open coverage received one or two stars.GETTY IMAGES
Amazon has been "flooded with so many complaints about its coverage of the US Open it has stopped disgruntled tennis fans from posting more bad reviews," according to Mark Sweney of the London GUARDIAN. Amazon's $40M, five-year deal to broadcast the US Open to U.K. tennis fans -- its first exclusive broadcast of a sports event -- was meant to showcase the Silicon Valley-based company's "streaming prowess" and "prove it can match traditional broadcasters and become a credible home for live sport." The company, which has "successfully streamed" NFL games in the U.S., has "pulled out all the stops." However, Amazon "has been inundated with complaints about a host of problems including the picture and sound quality of its streaming service and an inability to record matches." Almost 90% of the 650 reviews posted by subscribers to its £5.99 ($7.79) Prime Video service, home to its US Open coverage, gave Amazon "just 1 or 2 stars." Others urged Amazon to "give tennis back to Sky and Eurosport," which both used to broadcast the US Open in the U.K. before Amazon "snapped up the exclusive rights." Bad reviews of Amazon's separate highlights service reached such a level -- 96% awarded one- or two-star ratings -- that "no more reviews are being allowed to be posted about the service." The "backlash against its coverage demonstrates the steep learning curve Amazon is facing" as it prepares to take on exclusive U.K. coverage of the ATP men's tennis tour and "a high-profile deal to be the first streaming company to exclusively air Premier League matches next year" (GUARDIAN, 8/29).
'HE VERY WELL KNOWS': REUTERS reported Roger Federer and John McEnroe "have come under fire by US Open tennis fans for their live TV discussion of Aussie Nick Kyrgios." Federer joined McEnroe and ESPN tennis host Chris McKendry after his victory over Yoshihito Nishioka -- "just moments after Kyrgios also moved through to the second round." McEnroe was not "afraid to ask Federer the tough questions" during the segment and "even asked Federer if he plans on ever pulling Kyrgios aside to tell him to pull his head in." Federer said, "I'm not sure if I'm the guy who's supposed to pull him to the side. I think he very well knows, deep inside of himself, what he also needs to do." The discussion around Kyrgios' "ongoing failure to find consistency in his form angered some fans" (REUTERS, 8/29).
