The last time I had a bit of a rant about dodgy live online streaming was just last month when one of the biggest shows on TV, Game of Thrones, returned to our screens – or, at least, some of our screens.
US broadcaster HBO’s streaming service, HBO Go, couldn’t cope with the vast number of viewers attempting to catch the show and crashed due to "overwhelming demand".
Many UK fans had stayed up late in anticipation of the 2am airing of the first episode of season four, only to be met with blank screens.
This weekend it was the same old story, only this time with live sports – and it was Sky Go’s turn to leave fans disappointed as the app crashed minutes before kick-off on the final day of the English Premier League season, angering thousands of football fans.
Subscribers to the pay-per-view app were greeted by an error message as they tried to watch league title deciders involving Liverpool and Manchester City.
You would really have thought these big media companies that take big bucks from their customers would have learned their lesson by now.
As always, disgruntled customers took to Twitter to vent their frustrations.
One Tweeter said: "I was pretty annoyed when #SkyGo went down for the Liverpool v Chelsea game, but it happening on the final day of the season is horrendous."
Another chimed in: "If you’re going to provide a service, make sure it can hold up at peak times."
While another added: "Totally unacceptable for the last day or season, or anytime. Why do I pay so much money for shocking service?"
It’s a good question. And one Sky Go another live streaming services like it will struggle to answer. As it stands, HBO Go and Sky Go don’t seem to be going much at all when their customers demand them the most.
