Sky TV's first Game of Thrones simulcast falls over
Stuff happens.
Game of Thrones fans took to social media to vent after Sky TV's planned 1pm simulcast fall over today.
As NBR writes, the pay TV broadcaster was due to have another go at streaming the hit show on its Soho channel at 3.35pm.
But even if it goes ahead glitch-free, it won't be quite the same as watching it at the same time as New Yorkers (update: the delayed screening worked fine).
"HBO recommended a secure supplier who failed," Sky TV boss John Fellet tells NBR.
"It worked fine in two tests earlier this week, and in our count-down it was still working just seconds before going live," he says.
HBO is already facing grief after the first four episodes of season five leaked to pirate services, apparently after media preview copies were shared.
NBR's take: cut Sky TV some slack. Things inevitably go wrong when you're pushing the envelope, as Sky is with its new simulcast arrangement that (when working) will allow Kiwis to view GoT at the same time as people on the US East Coast. It's a progressive approach that also sees GoT episodes being made available on Sky's new Netflix clone, Neon, immediately (and the first episode should duly be on Neon from 8.30pm tonight, as scheduled, Sky says). Both moves are positive steps to take on new online competition, both legitimate and pirate (there's also a bit of stick in the mix, with Sky TV joining the legal threat against global mode ISP CallPlus).
Of course, people will be less understanding if the problem persists next week.
In the meantime, process this:
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Sky TV's first Game of Thrones simulcast falls over
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