A technical glitch that allowed viewers to watch an epic match between golf greats Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson for free will result in refunds for many of those who paid for the event.
The event, which was broadcast via Turner’s Bleacher Report, suffered a problem on its platform that allowed some viewers to access the match for free, while others couldn’t see it at all.
In a statement, Comcast said that because of the problem, it would return the $19.95 fee for the Woods-Mickelson face-off, which Mickelson won in sudden death. Ultimately, everyone was allowed to view it for free.
“Comcast will proactively issue a $19.99 credit to any Xfinity TV customer who purchased ‘The Match’ pay-per-view event,” Comcast in a statement to media outlets. “We hope Turner and Bleacher Report will do the same given that the event was made available by them for free on The Bleacher Report website.”
In addition to Comcast, SISH and Sling TV also said customers would received credits, and AT&T, which owns DirectTV, also said it would provide refunds.
“Since Turner streamed the event for free at the last minute due to technical issues, we are happy to do the right thing for our customers,” DISH spokesman John Hall said.
Some viewers who logged on to the event could not access it, and received error messages after purchasing.
After attempts to resolve the issue failed, Turner, which distributed the match, took down the paywall. As a result, anyone could view the feed from around 3 pm.
Neither Turner nor Bleacher Report responded to requests for comment.
Cox Communications and Charter Spectrum also told USA Today that they will provide refunds.
Comcast is the parent company of NBC Universal and CNBC.com.
