Bangladeshi streaming platforms Toffee and Bioscope have faced criticism for failing to provide smooth and uninterrupted coverage of the opening match of the FIFA World Cup for hundreds of football fans.
Many have reportedly lodged complaints with the Directorate of National Consumers’ Right Protection against the platform.
After a prolonged period of uncertainty, BTV, with support from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, secured the broadcasting rights from FIFA and will share coverage with Somoy TV and T-Sports.
Besides these media channels, the OTT (Over-The-Top) platforms ‘Toffee’ and 'Bioscope' have taken on the streaming rights.
While millions of fans around the world celebrated the tournament’s kickoff, many viewers in Bangladesh experienced severe technical difficulties while trying to watch the match through Toffee, a premium video streaming and digital entertainment platform owned by Banglalink Digital Communications Ltd, and Bioscope driven by Grameenphone.
Subscribers alleged that they faced lengthy delays throughout the registration process. Many users reported waiting nearly 40 minutes to receive one-time passwords (OTP) required for account verification, followed by an additional 30-minute delay in obtaining payment links.
Even after completing the subscription process, viewers said that the livestreaming frequently froze, with videos stopping every few seconds and repeatedly displaying loading screens.
The disruptions affected a large number of users during Thursday night’s opening match, prompting widespread criticism on social media. Frustrated subscribers complained that despite paying for access, they were unable to watch the game properly.
Industry observers noted that companies involved in World Cup broadcasting had invested heavily in acquiring broadcasting rights and launched extensive promotional campaigns to attract subscribers ahead of the tournament.
However, many consumers questioned whether the companies had made sufficient investments in technical infrastructure to handle the anticipated surge in viewership.
“Not everything should be allowed to pass without accountability. Although Tk 99 may seem like a small amount for one subscriber, I believe they have collected more than Tk 200 crore from subscribers. Everyone should file complaints,” said Anisur Rahman, a Toffee user.
Md Joy Hasan Nil, another Toffee subscriber, said that he had filed a complaint against the platform, alleging that users had faced a similar experience during the 2022 World Cup.
He said, “many subscribers were students who had spent their own money to purchase access to the service. Calling on other affected users to come forward, he said he had shared instructions on how to file complaints with the authorities.”
“If consumers do not raise their voices, the company will never improve. They will continue to benefit while ordinary customers suffer,” Nil added, urging all subscribers who purchased access to lodge formal complaints, as many of the tournament’s high-profile matches are yet to be played.
Critics argued that the World Cup schedule had been known years in advance, providing ample time for service providers to prepare their platforms for increased traffic.
They said, “the inability to deliver uninterrupted service after collecting subscription fees amounted to a failure to meet commitments made to customers.”
The audience was disappointed with the OTT platform's technical function. It triggered strong emotions among the massive FIFA audiences in the country. Negative reviews and user agitation have burst out on social media since then.
As the platform holds exclusive digital streaming rights in the country, viewers have limited alternatives, making questions of accountability and consumer protection even more significant.
In a statement posted on its Facebook page, Toffee attributed the disruption to issues related to the digital broadcast feed.
“Due to complications with the digital broadcast feed, interruptions are occurring in the livestreaming of the World Cup. We are working tirelessly with Bangladesh Television (BTV), the broadcast rights holder, to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and will provide further updates soon,” the platform stated.
Football fans have expressed hope that streaming platforms will ensure uninterrupted coverage of upcoming matches. Many also believe that if such failures continue, affected subscribers should receive appropriate compensation or refunds for services they were unable to use.
