Brought to you by the Human error blamed by OTT service for issues during hockey match. Getty Images New Zealand over-the-top (OTT) streaming service Spark Sport’s latest technical issue has prompted fresh concerns how the platform will cope with demand during this year’s Rugby World Cup. The FIH Pro League match between the New Zealand and Australian women’s hockey teams was meant to be shown live on Spark Sport, but the broadcast was delayed due to “technical difficulties”. New Zealand’s Black Sticks side had no choice but to direct fans to their Twitter feed to follow the action. Andrew Pirie, a spokesman for Spark Sport, said they were down to someone "not pressing the button" to start the live stream. A spokeswoman for the company, Samantha Smith, added: “A human error at our platform provider iStreamPlanet meant the streaming of the game started late, which meant fans missed the start of the game.” Continuing: “The error is something that we will be reviewing intensively with iStreamPlanet to make sure there isn't any repeat for future events,” she said. “The actual streaming service worked very well once it began – both for the rest of the live women's match and for the men's match that followed a couple of hours later.” Though the issue was resolved so customers were able to view the full broadcast on demand later the same evening, the technical issues have raised fears over Spark Sport’s ability to successfully stream the Rugby Union World Cup later this year. It isn’t the first time the OTT platform have suffered streaming issues. During its coverage of the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix earlier this month, users watching on-demand versions of the final practice session and pre-qualifying race experienced error messages. It comes after Spark Sport confirmed its Rugby World Cup package prices will see users, including existing subscribers, having to pay NZ$89.99 (US$59.85) for its most premium option. With this compounded by Spark Sport admitting that up to 40,000 households in rural areas of New Zealand wouldn’t be able to access its World Cup coverage due to weak internet signal.
Technical problems which disrupted a hockey broadcast by New Zealand streaming service SportSpark Sport has raised concerns over its ability to cover the Rugby World Cup. The hitch, which delayed a broadcast of a clash between the New Zealand and Australia women’s hockey teams, was blamed on human error at platform provider iStreamPlanet. SportSpark Sport said it would review the error to ensure it would not be repeated, but the problem was the second to hit the streaming service after its coverage of the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix was also disrupted.