Disruption in Germany-Hungary Euro 2024 broadcast caused by 'transmission glitch' from source

SINGAPORE: Broadcast disruptions during a Euro 2024 match between Germany and Hungary were caused by a "transmission glitch", StarHub said on Thursday (Jun 20).

The glitch originated from the source feed for the match and "affected all providers in Singapore and the region", a spokesperson for the company said in response to queries from CNA.

Euro 2024 matches are being broadcast via SPOTV, a South Korean media company that acquired the exclusive media rights in Malaysia and Singapore for the tournament.

Hosts Germany beat Hungary 2-0 in the game to become the first team in the tournament to reach the knockout stage.

However, viewers in Singapore missed some of the game's crucial moments, including the first goal that was scored by Germany's Jamal Musiala in the 22nd minute, due to the disruption.

Viewers reported the screen "freezing" or a notice appearing on screen to indicate that transmission was interrupted.

A viewer told CNA that there were two disruptions during the match, which kicked off at midnight. The first - in the opening half - lasted nearly 20 minutes, with the second towards the end of the game lasting about five minutes.

SPOTV told CNA that the "unexpected transmission interruption" lasted for 28 minutes before service was fully restored.

"The interruption was caused by an issue with our transmission partner’s backup system," SPOTV CEO Lee Choong Khay said.

"Due to some technical errors, there was a delay in switching over to the backup system when the primary transmission failed. This delay was also due to the failure to activate the contingency plans that were in place."

Mr Lee said that SPOTV has since tightened processes with its transmission partner, "who will implement an increased capacity and an automatic switching system to ensure this incident does not happen again".

Mediacorp said that its coverage of the tournament is dependent on the source coverage provided by SPOTV. 

"We are working closely with them to ensure similar incidents don’t happen again. We sincerely apologise for the negative viewing experience our audiences have experienced," a spokesperson said.

DISSATISFACTION FROM CUSTOMERS

Dissatisfied customers expressed their anger and disappointment over the incident, with many leaving comments on the social media accounts of Euro 2024 broadcasters Singtel, StarHub and Mediacorp's mewatch. 

"Half an hour of live gameplay gone. One goal missed," commented a customer on a StarHub Facebook post. "Refund all your paying customers."

The post was peppered with screenshots from angry fans showing images of frozen screens or an error message indicating interrupted transmission.

"Paid over 100 dollars for borderline Euro 2024 service while people in other parts of the world can watch for free without disruption," said another viewer in a post directed to StarHub on X. 

In a reply to the comments during the match, StarHub said the interruption was "due to a source problem", which had been resolved. It also told viewers that they should be able to "watch channels without any issues" and to try again.

The StarHub spokesperson told CNA that the company was in contact with SPOTV over the incident.

"We are aware of the recent transmission glitch during the UEFA Euro 2024 broadcast. This issue originated from the source feed and affected all providers in Singapore and the region," the spokesperson said.

"We have contacted the channel partner, requested immediate action and enhanced measures to meet quality standards. We expect them to address this issue promptly and prevent future disruptions.

"We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank our viewers for their understanding and patience."

Customers who left comments on Singtel's Facebook posts also said they experienced audio issues. 

"I thought my TV spoil," wrote a Singtel customer, with many others lamenting that they did not pay S$108 to expect such issues. 

Singtel said that its broadcast "experienced two disruptions" that originated from the SPOTV feed.

A spokesperson for the company told CNA that "all broadcasters and subscribers in Singapore" were affected by the disruptions.

"We promptly activated resources within our network to restore services and managed to reduce the duration of the disruption for Singtel customers by half – to 15 (minutes)," the spokesperson said.

"We are working with the content provider, SPOTV, to ascertain the cause of the issue and to resolve it." 

A mewatch customer said: "Why like this? Keep hanging! Please do something about it or refund us."

The early bird subscription price to watch Euro 2024 was S$88 (US$65). It was revised to S$108 from May 27.