We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
A NUMBER OF Eir customers couldn’t watch Ireland’s historic victory over the All Blacks live last night due to a technical issue with the streaming service.
The rugby match between Ireland and New Zealand in Chicago was only available to view for subscribers to Eir Sport in Ireland.
The match was not shown live on any of the free-to-view channels in Ireland.
Eir customers could watch the match on television on Eir Sport 2 but also had the option of streaming it online or watching it on the Eir Sport app.
However, technical glitches had customers complaining that they were unable to view the match live on the app.
Eir responded to complaints from customers via its Twitter account throughout the game, and released a statement via Twitter about the glitch during the second half:
“A technical issue is currently affecting a small number of customers who are trying to login with the eir Sport app,” a customer service rep wrote.
We are working with our technical partners to resolve this issue asap.
eir Sport / TwitterA technical issue is currently affecting a small number of customers who are trying to login with the eir Sport app. 1/2
— eir Sport (@eirSport) November 5, 2016
Following the historic victory Eir announced that it would be showing a replay of the match on its free to air Eir Sport 1 which is available on Sky and to non-Eir Sports subscribers.
It will also be showing the game again today and throughout the week.
In a statement to TheJournal.ie, a spokesperson for Eir said:
A significant number of our eir Sport customers enjoyed an historic Irish sporting occasion last night. We are looking into a technical problem which affected a very small number of customers.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
The streaming service on the eirsport app is so bad that I chose to stop watching and find an illegal stream. It’s a joke the match wasn’t free to air.
Thank you Mobdro!
@Robert Burke: I was just about to comment on the irony of watching it free on an illegal stream and having no such issues. I don’t have Eir sports and managed to find a stream of the match – I hooked the laptop up to the telly through the HDMI output and to the stereo using the audio jack. Stream worked perfectly – apart from a bit of choppiness in the second half but I live out in the sticks where the internets fairly shabby so its to be expected.
Its at the stage now if you’ve a good enough internet connection you’d be mad to pay for subscription television.
@Cillian McCormick: Cillian, find an Android TV box on Ali Express or Gear best for about 30 quid (Don’t buy via Facebook as the Irish companies are basically selling the same boxes for 70). Showbox, Mobdro and Kodi will make you cut any subscription service you have.
Yeah, I’ve been looking into Android boxes lately. I don’t really know too much about them to be honest – a little more research needed I think!
Thank you Zgemma
My daughter has the Android box and my view it’s a load of absolute rubbish. She got it for around 70 euros would not go near it. Stick with Sky
Mobdro and chromecast
The local pub got it that way too….very inventive.
@Phil… the only way to go. Got mine for €21 through the Wish app. Postage included. The Dream box is amazing too. Anyone who pays upwards of €70 a month to watch nothing but advertising and repeats is deluded Imo.
Buy a zgemma box iv got on set up is same as sky it records pause and rewind live tv any of the latest movies in cinema on the box also just make sure you got a good broadband and your sorted
Alan Scott working for Sky obviously
Maybe it’s just rubbish cause she doesn’t know how to use it. I have one the last few years I got for 25 quid. Never had a days trouble with it. All sports and movies at the touch of a button.
@John O’Neill:
Eir no longer exists. It was Setanta. Eir sold to North American company.
But thanks to Mobdro I get all the Sport and TV channels.
And it didnt freeze once lol
Yes John, I watched it on BT Sports 2 using Mobdro and a Chromecast connection to the TV. Picture was a bit blurred but there was no interruption to the live feed. Only gripe I had was the poor analysis during and after the game. Would have loved to have seen Hook and Pope’s reaction to the game and the end result.
?
It was the most deplorable camera work I’ve ever seen at a professional game. Truly dreadful. Maybe not Eirs fault as it may have been syndicated but it was woeful. Nice result though.
Wouldn’t have been anything to do with Eir but jaysus some of the angles were shocking!! Especially for any penos/conversions.
Nbc had the rights,yanks and rugby
Probably because it was only a friendly. Apart from a few Irish ex-pats on the piss no one else cared.
I was lucky to watch it live but its an absolute travesty that this match wasnt on our national tv stations.
An absolute joke it was! We beat the All Blacks and couldn’t enjoy the match! What are we paying a bloody licence for?? Shame on RTE too. A joke of a channel showing the usual tripe
Rte dont have the rights to show friendlys
That’s weird Shane, RTE are showing the rest of the November internationals so I dont see why they weren’t bothered in trying to get the rights to last night. But it’s RTE and are penny pinching shites now who still expect people to shell out for licence fee.
Because last night was an extra match outside the nov internationals via aig so they werent covered under the agreement rte have
In other words they probably couldn’t be arsed trying to get the rights to it.
Correct Mark, you only have to look at Friday’s Late Late as an example. They spent a fortune sending Tubridy to London to interview Bruce Springsteen but the rest of the show is made up of Z list “celebrities” like Vogue whatsherface and Davy Spillane singing old Irish songs that used to be taught in schools. The license fee payers are entitled to feel cheated.
Not even on the radio absolutely shocking from Rte or whoever sorts this stuff out .. we need a station like BBC radio 5 every single match in all sports covered .
@silverter:
Why people still pay a TV license to keep that station and its pampered pooches propped up is mind-boggling.
Nugent messed up. Historic victory and he should have splashed out for the rites.
Joe Duffy tomorrow lads I’d say
Already on J Duffy all last week listed as one of the worst companies and customer services in the country to deal with or get anything done
Eir providing a crap service? Who would have thought!
The amount of laptops up and down the country streaming it
The whole thing seemed very amateur. It was only shown in a handful of countries and on obscure channels. Wasn’t available in Australia at all. I got a stream on the All Blacks website and it was like a 5 year old was doing the camera work.
@The Guru: I think it was a US company doing the Camera work, I watched the Maorai VS USA game and it was the same crap.
I would guess the camera positions there are set up for NFL.
I wonder if all the RTE executives were sitting around watching RTE last night, or would you say they watched the game.
Yeah watching it in Chicago with their Donnybrook Dollars
What do we pay a tv license for?????
Tv license fees + advertising fees + tax subsidising shouldn’t even come close to consistent losses. Who or what is the national broadcast for exactly???
Mobdro is a good back up app
Shame on rte .
Yup i was one of those people
No doubt the American Elections will run perfect on EIR next week yet Ireland’s greatest ever Rugby result was nothing short of shocking
I missed seeing the match as I depended on Eir sport and nothing.I must be one of the small number effective
I got screwed over as well. Was grand for 25 mins or so and then I had to switch to mobdro.
@liam lally: “Small number” my arse. Tried to get it on my lap top. I have an Eir account with free Eir Sport etc Tried to install it last week. But it does not work on Explorer, Edge or Chrome – about 95% of non-Mac browsers in Ireland. So I got Firefox and then dried to open it, but it did not recognise my account. Then 85 mins (I timed it) getting “help” by phone and ending with an African guy with the strongest accent, and they tell me they changed my account number (but never told me?), so I get it going. Tried it a few times and it worked: Hurrah. Then tried it for the match and it didn’t. Half an hour but no fix. So I went to the pub. About 25 mins in and the reception collapses. 10 minutes later (missed Murray’s try) and in a third pub, I get to see it. But the sound was poor. Eir are a dreadful company.
@Donnacadh Hurley: Had a fairly similar experience. Can’t believe any company these days would release an app not compatible with Chrome, the most popular browser! And they obviously never bothered testing the app to see how it would scale and handle load. Joke of a company.
@Donnacadh Hurley: I had a fairly similar experience myself. I can’t believe any company these days would release their app incompatible with Chrome, the most popular web browser! And it’s pretty obvious they never bothered testing it to see how it would scale and handle a bit of traffic. Technical issues my arse. Jokeshop of a company.
No casting on the app in this day and age. end up watching it on mobdro . couldn’t watch it on eir.k keep stalling.
So some people couldn’t watch a game. What a tragedy!
#firstworldproblems
@Dan Keane:Ah feck of to Africa so.
@Dan Keane: Okay for you earning big money at LA Galaxy.
Google uktvnow android app. Install onto phone. All sport channels. Adds do pop up,just press return button. You can cast the stream to your TV. Watched the Ireland game last night perfect quality.
I’ve been using cricfree TV to watch illegal streams of rugby matches for a long time now as paid sports channels are just too expensive. I’d say that the streams are chrystal clear about 95% of the time.
I watched the whole thing On a mobile phone streamed live from an online App for free.
My TV license fee should guarantee such sporting events are broadcast on my TV.
Sooner the better more people start streaming.
If ya buy a Google chromecast and if you have an android (samsung, htc….) phone download mobdro app you can stream it up to the TV. Cost ya 35 euros and so many other things to use google Chromecast for as well.
The WorldRugby channel on YouTube was streaming it live although the quality was really bad @360p
Much better app.
Google uktvnow android app.
Install it.
Pop ups appear at the start, just press return key.
Casting from phone to TV is possible.
Uktvnow was brilliant but most of the sports channels either crash or won’t play at all now. Mobdro still the most reliable for a stream that won’t crash but the quality when cast is vastly inferior to a TV signal.
Worked fine on iOS for me, not on android though. Was on YouTube live as well someone mentioned.
Some? Seemed like a lot more than some. We didn’t want it and were told we had no choice. Broadband price bumped up and when we then actually try to use it, it doesn’t work. I contacted them and I’ve had no reply.
Try this. https://moretv.ie/ get free 3 day pass. Has all sports and movie channels. Was a great game .
Highlights on BT Sport 2 23:00 hrs Sunday
Eir broadband is still a complete joke.
Worked perfectly before the game then stalled a 7:40pm then wouldn’t let me login. Could login fine to other eir sites. Looks like they were overwhelmed by the demand. Only got it working during second half.
Eir/Eircom, simply the worst company off all time, shower of monkies
For anyone who might have missed it or wants to watch it again, here’s a link for a HD, Irish commentary version: https://youtu.be/SQL9rjywJrg
Sir Sport 1 is NOT available Free to Sky Customers!
It is if you have eir fibre
Mobdro then premier sport you’re only man !!!!
Jaysus, a few lads can’t see a meaningless exhibition match and there’s a meltdown. Get over yer selves.
Not the point George and you know it. If you pay extra for a service then you expect that service to be provided. If not, then you are entitled to be pi$$ed off, regardless of what the service is.
stay the hell away from eir
Ah the journal moany hole patrol are out in force today. Blaming RTE for not paying for the rights to a friendly without even knowing if they were outbid or what? It’s like listening to the trump supporters..absolutely thick as shìt, overly opinionated and as soon as they don’t get what they want to watch on TV the get the pitch forks out.
have your say