The biggest sporting event in the world, the FIFA World Cup commenced yesterday, November 20, with an extravagant opening ceremony which was narrated by Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman. There was also a performance by BTS artist Jung Kook who sang a new tournament song called Dreamers, alongside Qatari singer Fahad Al-Kubaisi. The Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar was filled with fans cheering. The FIFA World Cup will run for 29 days and 64 matches which will be played among 32 teams.
Actor Morgan Freeman also extended one yellow-gloved hand to an ambassador of the FIFA World Cup who is suffering from a rare spinal disorder. This represented inclusion in a country that has been facing international criticism for facing international criticism over its human rights record. The ruler of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum opened the World Cup calling for people of all races and orientations to put aside their differences.
The first match was between Ecuador and Qatar in which Enner Valencia (Ecuadorian professional footballer) drove Ecuador to a 2-0 victory. The second match between England and Iran is scheduled to be held today, November 21, at 6.30 pm.
Indeed, the opening ceremony and match were much-talked-about, but for those back in India, who were live streaming the match, not everything was hunky dory, buffering being the mainstay complaint. In today's edition of #WhatTheFAQ, we try to unpack the issues which left Indian fans disappointed.
Who bagged the streaming rights to the World Cup this year?
FIFA World Cup in India is watched on television every year, but this year, Reliance Jio bagged streaming rights for the match in India and offered to stream the World Cup 2022 for free online. Jio even announced that to stream the World Cup, the users need not have a Jio SIM and users with any network provider can stream the opening ceremony and match via the Jio Cinema application. On television, the FIFA World Cup was streamed live on Sports18 and Sports18 HD TV channels in India.
What happened during streaming?
A number of viewers complained about issues with live streaming FIFA World Cup 2022 and expressed dissatisfaction with the endless buffering during the opening ceremony and during the match between Ecuador and Qatar which marred their experience of watching the match.
What did the fans, who took to Twitter to complain, have to say?
Too much buffering is always very frustrating, especially when live-streaming the biggest sporting event in the world. Many users took to Twitter to rail against Jio’s streaming platform for not providing the best streaming experience. Fans had difficulty streaming the match even after they updated the application.
Here are a few tweets by fans:
Ishank Choudhary (@i_ishankk): "#JioCinema it is the worst streaming app I have ever used, imagine Portugal Vs Argentina are playing final and this app will show buffering."
Samarth Goyal (@SammySamarth): "Wow #JioCinema you guys should have tested your servers before putting in your bid for broadcasting #FIFAWorldCup in India. Pathetic service."
Paulami Mukherjee (@paulamimukherje): "#JioCinema #FIFAWorldCup immediately take away rights from jio to disneyhotstar or voot ...horrible experience ...ruining football world cup for fans all over"
N.S. Madhavan (@NSMlive): "World’s ninth richest man, Mukesh Ambani, can’t do a smooth #WorldCup streaming with his atrocious #JioCinema app, just as world’s richest man, @elonmusk can’t run a microblogging app"
How did Jio respond?
Shortly after social media users expressed their concern with the live streaming, Jio Cinema indicated that the application works better only after the latest update is installed. Even after doing so, several fans continued to experience issues with the streaming of the match, after which, Jio shared an apology for the inconvenience caused. They tweeted from their official Twitter handle, @JioCinema:
“Our team hard at work to solve some of your buffering issues”
With a video hinting that they are working to resolve their issues.
Previously they also tweeted:
Dear @JioCinema Fans,
We are continuously working to give you a great experience. Please upgrade your app to the latest version to enjoy #FIFAWorldCupQatar2022. Apologies for any inconvenience.
#FIFAWorldCup #FIFAWConJioCinema #FIFAWConSports18 |
@FIFAWorldCup”
