BRONX, N.Y.– FloSports‘ debut as D.C. United’s streaming service got off to a rocky start during the team’s scoreless draw Sunday with New York City FC.
Several fans in the Washington, D.C. area took to twitter minutes after kickoff to vent about their feeds not working. The Austin-based streaming company’s services were interrupted as many as six times, according to one tweet.
DC United vs NYCFC stream has cut out 6 times in the first half alone. Not a good look for pay-streaming service @flosports @FloFC_ or @dcunited #DCU #FloFC
— Steve Horne (@steve_horne) March 10, 2019
Local bars showing the game experienced the same blackouts, including United’s official watch party at Lou’s City Bar in Columbia Heights and supporters group Barra Brava’s viewing partying at Finn McCool’s.
We want to thank @finnmccoolsdc for their commitment to showing the DC United games. @flosports you owe an apology to everyone for your horrible product and horrible customer service. Sadly we cannot recommend that any of our members subscribe.
— Barra Brava (@Barra_Brava) March 10, 2019
Despite the issues in the first half, some viewers reported through social media better service during the second half.
FloSports later put out the following statement:
“At the start of the D.C. United match today some users were blocked in a region that shouldn’t have been. The issue was resolved but we apologize for any inconvenience. When the issue was fixed interruptions may have resulted.”
The company provided a link for customers to submit comments to a general contact form along with the statement.
“D.C. United is deeply disappointed by the broadcast problems in its first match on FloSports,” a released statement from United co-chairmen Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan said. “We are taking these issues very seriously and find the problems encountered unacceptable … We contacted officials at FloSports during the broadcast as it became clear there were significant issues and these discussions continued late into the evening. In the coming days we will be working with FloSports to ensure this does not happen again.”
Sunday’s match was the first of 21 games featured exclusively on FloSports for local Washington viewers as part of a larger four-year deal. Additionally, FloSports commentators were not onsite for the game in New York and used monitors instead, according to Steven Goff of the Washington Post.
Today marks the debut of @flosports for D.C. United match coverage. Digital subscription service. First of 21 games this season. Announcers are not on site in New York, instead calling the match from monitors in Washington. #DCU #MLS
— Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) March 10, 2019