The Heidi Game — Redux
Professional sports leagues are ruining the common fan experience by making games more expensive and less accessible to everyone. And, the problem is about to get much worse.
Imagine watching the NBA Eastern Conference Finals last night which was a close game between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. In the middle of the 4th quarter, your screen morphs into an infinite loop for a promo for The Little Mermaid.
A YouTube TV crash during Wednesday night’s Heat-Celtics playoff game left NBA fans stunned and smashing their refresh buttons. It’s was almost the infamous 1968 Raiders-Jets AFL playoff “Heidi” game all over again.
Those watching the conference finals on YouTube TV got stuck watching an ad for Disney’s The Little Mermaid instead of the closing minutes of the Eastern Conference Finals opener. The crash occurred about midway through the fourth quarter during a TV timeout. Multiple users complained that their streams showed the annoying (and ridiculously placed) ad for Disney’s live-action remake on repeat for several minutes. Others also complained of poor stream quality, including long delays, once the game returned. There were more tech glitches after the game.
READ MORE HERE: NBA Fans Livid After YouTube TV Crashed During Celtics-Heat Game
Oh, and there’s this horrible news if you’re a sports fan: YouTube is set to take over the famed NFL Sunday Ticket coverage this coming fall.
Shaking my head in disgust (at how pro sports leagues are totally fucking up the common fan experience).
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Note: The NFL also sold off an NFL playoff game next season for the first time, which means casual fans will have to subscribe to the Peacock Network (seriously) to watch the game. Yet, another travesty.
READ MORE HERE: NFL fans will need to subscribe to Peacock if they don’t want to miss a playoff game
