If there was one performance on Anzac Day more disappointing than anything dished up by Gold Coast, Essendon, Geelong or Carlton, and even a few of the stand rule calls, it came from Kayo.

Only the Rowan Marshall ARC delay during St Kilda's clash with West Coast on Sunday could rival it as the most frustrating technology moment of the weekend.

On the biggest home and away day of the AFL season, the platform that sells itself as the home of “Super Saturday”, live and ad break free from siren to siren in 4K, dished up a broadcast that had paying subscribers asking a simple question.

What exactly are we paying for?

Because at $45.99 a month, after a recent price rise during a cost of living crisis, this is meant to be the premium experience.

Kayo has built its reputation on doing things properly. No ads during play. Siren to siren coverage. That is the Fox Footy's entire marketing pitch.

Which is why what happened during Hawthorn v Gold Coast stood out so much.

 

An ad break during live play in the fourth quarter. “Kayo just running ads in the middle of the last quarter. How are you lifting the price so regularly when this is the rubbish we're dealing with?”

That was one frustrated fan on the artist formerly known as Twitter, now X, and it summed up the mood.

Another user, @banditkayfabe, had issues just finding the game.

“$47 a month for Kayo and the #AFLHawksSuns link goes to Fox Sports 504 which ISN'T showing the game. Great work.”

“It gets better. Fox Sports 503 is showing ads instead of the game. HAHAHAHAHAH.”

That is not a minor glitch. That is basic access.

Then came the mid-broadcast channel switch to squeeze in the pre-game ceremony for Collingwood v Essendon.

Clunky, confusing, and not what you expect from a premium product.

By the time the traditional Anzac Day clash got underway, things only escalated.

There were genuine technical issues at the MCG. Power, audio, the lot. It happens.

It is also worth noting this was a rare Saturday Anzac Day broadcast for the Seven Network, who under the current rights deal do not typically show Saturday games during the home and away season outside of special occasions like this.

Even so, they acknowledged the issues on air and online.

 

Fox Footy, to be fair, may well have acknowledged the issues during the broadcast, but if they did it was not obvious or widely communicated, particularly across digital channels where viewers were looking for answers.

Their call team of Anthony Hudson, Garry Lyon and Jason Dunstall battled through a second quarter audio dropout that left viewers sitting in silence, at one point replaced by what sounded like artificial crowd noise. On-air, they handled it professionally and got on with the job.

But for those watching at home, it was jarring.

“Oh no… Kayo having another horror day on one of the biggest days of the season. If you don't laugh, you'll cry,” posted @MemesAFL.

Another user, @MartinGHodgson, went harder.

“This is just a joke! Switches channels mid game, ad break mid quarter. AFL and Kayo don't give a shit about the fans.”

And that is the crux of it.

This is not free to air. This is a subscription.

People feel invested in the product. They are paying for access, for quality, for reliability. For most, it is their primary way of watching footy week to week. When it works, it is worth it. When it doesn't, it stands out.

And moments like this do not just disappear. They stack up.

One bad day becomes a pattern. A pattern becomes frustration. And frustration turns into people questioning whether the subscription is worth it, asking for their money back or just cancelling outright and heading down to watch at the local.

That is the risk.

Plenty looked elsewhere. Switching to Seven, or even syncing up radio calls through the SEN Sync app just to get a cleaner, more reliable experience.

That is not a great sign for a platform built on exclusivity. Now, this part matters.

When Fox Footy gets it right, it is elite.

The production is sharp. The analysis is best in class. The commentary team is as good as it gets. On their day, they elevate the game.

Which is exactly why this stood out.

Because the gap between their best and what was dished up here is enormous. Live television is unpredictable. Things will go wrong.

But people expect accountability. A quick explanation. A bit of honesty. Treating the audience like they matter.

Subscribers are the business model. If days like this continue, people will question their investment, look to cancel, or seek alternatives.

And while the AFL will have plenty of other fires to put out this week (much of their own doing), this is one that should not be ignored. You would hope internally there is a serious look at what unfolded.

Because on the biggest day outside of the finals the game has, this simply was not good enough.

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