Viewers furious over Channel 9 streaming bungle in Origin I

Viewers were left fuming in their seats as an all too familiar problem reared its ugly head when Origin I kicked off at Suncorp Stadium.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 05: James Tedesco and the Blues look on after a Maroons try during game one of the 2019 State of Origin series between the Queensland Maroons and the New South Wales Blues at Suncorp Stadium on June 05, 2019 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

State of Origin fans have been left fuming because of a Channel 9 streaming bungle minutes after kick-off at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night.

One of the biggest sporting events in Australia each year, Game 1 brought a surge of viewers to their devices to stream the match.

A wave of fans took to social media early on in the spectacle to slam interruptions to Nine’s coverage. Fox Sports reporter Catherine Durkin said the stream “appeared broken” except for the Spider Cam angle as angry complaints flooded Twitter.

Some viewers said for a moment they could only view the match through the shaky cameras being worn by the referees.

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State of Origin stream on @Channel9 9 Now app appears to be broken. Constantly buffers and then crashes. But Spider Cam stream through the same app is working fine. I’m both annoyed and nauseous #sortit

— Catherine Durkin (@CDurkinFOX) June 5, 2019

2019 and @9Now is down for the state of origin!! Horrible!!! Having to watch on a stream from the UK.

— Dave Harvey (@DaveHarvey17) June 5, 2019

Dear @Channel9,

If you want complete rights to State of Origin, can you please make sure your bloody stream works.

Sincerely,
A really pissed off league fan. #stateoforigin #9NOW

— Eve (@league_witheve) June 5, 2019

To absolutely nobody's surprise, #9now origin stream is cooked. How is every Australian company this bad at the internet?

— VS Bassoon (@VanilliamS) June 5, 2019

Fortunately for everyone, it wasn’t as bad as Optus’ chaotic World Cup streaming fail. 9Now’s official Twitter account addressed the issue shortly after kick-off and confirmed its team was working to fix the issue.

Our apologies #Origin fans we are looking to resolve the streaming issue for you as soon as possible. Stay tuned for updates.

— 9Now (@9Now) June 5, 2019

While the stream quality got better, the pain got worse for fans south of the border as the match turned in Queensland’s favour after the half-time break.

A try-scoring double by man of the match Dane Gagai helped the Maroons overcome an 8-0 half-time deficit and a string of missed chances to draw first blood in the Origin series in front of 52,191 fans.

It was a dream start for Queensland’s new Origin era as it looks to reclaim the title after going down to the Blues last year.

Viewers were absolutely fuming after interruptions to the State of Origin live stream.

While the stream quality got better, the pain got worse for fans south of the border as the match turned in Queensland’s favour after the half-time break. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Several players refused to sing the Australian national anthem in a silent protest as Queensland beat NSW 18-14 in a pulsating clash.

Blues’ indigenous stars Cody Walker and Josh Addo-Carr, along with Queensland’s Will Chambers, had all pledged before the blockbuster interstate showdown to remain quiet during the traditional pre-game song.

At least five or six others, from both sides, appeared to join them in solidarity as the rest of their teammates belted out “Advance Australia Fair”.

The indigenous players believe the century-old words discriminate against their people.

They find the line “for we are young and free” particularly offensive given Aboriginal Australians — who have struggled with centuries of oppression since European colonisation — boast one of the world’s oldest continuous cultures.

“It’s nothing to do with black, white, brown. We’re all one, we’re all Australians, and we just want to get recognised,” Addo-Carr told reporters ahead of the game.

“It’s just our opinion, it’s how we feel, and we’re very proud indigenous men and Australian men.”

With AAP