Sports events that run longer than expected often create some issues for networks, perhaps especially so with international events where they’re expecting a feed to end at a certain time. That happened with the international Grey Cup feed crashing in the fourth quarter on ESPN2 in November 2016 (although they fortunately got it back before the game ended), and it happened Sunday night with the NBC Sports streaming feed of the women’s world curling championships’ gold-medal game cutting out in the 10th end. (The Canadian rink led by Jennifer Jones would go on to win 7-6 over the Swedish rink led by Anna Hasselborg, which claimed Olympic gold last month, in the 11th end.)
Here’s a look at what happened, from a poster on Reddit’s curling subreddit (language warning for that link):
This led to a whole lot of people yelling at NBCSN (which was airing the match on TV) on Twitter:
And just as the last rock of the 10th end was thrown, in a tight gold medal world championship game, @nbcsn gave up. REALLY?! pic.twitter.com/11UrmdqqCu
— Jimmy Frazier (@RiversAreDamp) March 25, 2018
Anyone else just have the @NBCSN #WWCC18 stream cut out on them in the middle of the last show of the 10th? #wtf #livesportsdontalwaysendontime
— SF Bay Area Curling 🥌 (@bayareacurling) March 25, 2018
Yes! WTF @NBCSN!?!? Cutting out on the last shot? #curling #lame https://t.co/23xTJTxcyI
— Dena Rosenberry (@djrosenberry) March 25, 2018
Unreal. @NBCSN cut off coverage of the GOLD MEDAL GAME of the Women's Curling World Championship on the VERY LAST STONE of the 10TH END. Sweden tied it up and it went to an extra end. I scrambled to a VPN and got on TSN. Talk about an epic blunder. #curling #epicfail #wwcc2018
— TK Street (@royalt213) March 25, 2018
Why did you end coverage in the middle of the game?
— Eric (@e_m_goldstein) March 25, 2018
They're in an extra end but your streaming coverage went off the air. pic.twitter.com/K3fPOa11Hp
— SF Bay Area Curling 🥌 (@bayareacurling) March 25, 2018
https://twitter.com/throughthegate/status/978033495724376064
Heidi Game revisited. NBC cut it right where Sweden was throwing their last stone. Thanks NBC
— Kevin (@rakramden) March 25, 2018
With that Grey Cup cutaway, AA was told the issue was ESPN programming the feed in advance to end at a certain time, and it seems likely something similar happened here. It’s along the lines of someone trying to record a game on a DVR without adding extra time to the end. But it’s certainly much more annoying on a wide scale when this happens to a broadcaster, especially during a championship game. NBC found a way to annoy a lot of curling fans Sunday night, and you don’t want to mess with curling fans. After all, they’re known for throwing stones.
[Reddit]
