On Sunday afternoon, the online streaming platform Dazn was for a long time inaccessible to many of its subscribers in conjunction with the Serie A Inter-Cagliari at 12.30 and Verona-Lazio at 15 (two of the three league matches broadcast over the weekend by the service ). The issues have mostly been with app logins, and have prevented many people from watching the games.
We are investigating the issue originating from our partner Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS), which has impacted on DAZN and other European broadcasters.
We are deeply sorry and will take all appropriate measures for what happened.
– DAZN Italy (@DAZN_IT) April 11, 2021
Following the numerous reports received and published on social networks by subscribers, in the early afternoon Dazn had made it known that he was working to solve the problems, later identified “in the failure of the authentication service provided by an external partner, which was not able to resolve them quickly “. Dazn added to the explanations that the problems, which lasted about three hours, involved several European countries, not just Italy. Subsequently Dazn explained to ANSA that the aforementioned partner to which the malfunction had been attributed was Comcast Technology Solutions, a company of the American group Comcast, owner among other things of Sky (Italian competitor of Dazn).
The malfunction of the online platform has worried both subscribers, who will be reimbursed for not being able to see a match for which they had paid, and Serie A. According to today's newspapers, president Paolo Dal Pino would have asked on behalf of the clubs “Immediate and detailed explanations of what happened” and underlined how “the technical problem does not happen again and in order to protect Serie A and its fans”.
Starting next year, and for the next three, Dazn will in fact be the main television partner of Serie A, replacing Sky Sport. From 2021 to 2024 the online platform will broadcast all the matches of each match day, seven of which are exclusive and the remaining three are non-exclusive.
During the assignment of the rights, Dazn's offer was received with caution precisely because of the innovative features of the service: a streaming platform without real television channels, which can be accessed via an application from a smartphone, smart TV or console, or via browser. The doubts that these methods may limit the user base, both for a matter of habits and for a matter linked to Italian infrastructures, still persist, together with those on the possibility that streaming broadcasts could incur incidents such as the one on Sunday with a certain frequency. According to Dazn's plans, however, the strategic collaboration with TIM and the preparation of one or more channels on digital terrestrial will guarantee an adequate service in every area of the country.
