The biggest sporting extravaganza in the world, the Football World Cup kicked off in Qatar on the 20th of November when the host nation faced off against Ecuador. In the opening game, Ecuador got the better of Qatar and beat them 2-0. However, many football fans in India could not enjoy the game due to the problem of constant lag on JioCinema’s live streaming. The problem persisted on the second day as well when 3 matches took place at football’s showpiece event.
The rights to broadcast FIFA World Cup in India are with Reliance Jio and they are streaming it via the JioCinema app, along with Sports 18 channel on TV. However, the first two days of the tournament left the fans frustrated as the live stream on the app kept getting stuck.
After the problems on the opening day, the JioCinema app even apologised for the inconvenience caused to fans due to the problems with the streaming.
Dear @JioCinema fans,
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) November 20, 2022
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
However, the fan experience didn’t get any better on the second day with several fans still complaining about the streaming.
I watched FIFA on an illegal stream which had about 700k people watching in 4K UHD. Didn’t even buffer once. This guy’s server might be in his mom’s basement and yet faster than a billion dollar company #Jiodown #JioCinema
— Siddharth Sai (@ssaig) November 21, 2022
you ruined this world cup for us @JioCinema
— ganesh (@breathMessi21) November 21, 2022
This is how I watched the first goal of #FIFAWorldCup2022 !!!!! #JioCinema #EcuadorvsQatar pic.twitter.com/fe9zQ5tvgO
— Hariom Yadav (@HariomY90522494) November 21, 2022
With several big matches coming up in the tournament, including the ones featuring fans’ favourites Brazil, Argentina, Portugal, and France, the load on the JioCinema servers is only going to increase during the next month. Unless they get their act together quickly, this may end up becoming on frustrating World Cup for Indian football fans.
