If you were a British soccer fan July 11 watching on YouTube TV the Three Lions play Croatia in the semi-finals at the Russia 2018 World Cup, the 2-1 overtime loss was only part of the problem.
YouTube TV subscribers suffered through an unexplained service outage during the pivotal match that could have seen England return to the World Cup final for the first time since 1966.
Now Google-owned YouTube is offering subs an apology and a free week of service for the interruption.
“We’re really sorry for the recent YouTube TV outage during the FIFA World Cup semifinal,” the service tweeted. “To help make this right, we’d like to give you a week of free service.”
Launched in early 2017 for $35 monthly fee and available in 83 markets, YouTube joined Sling TV, DirecTV Now, PlayStation Vue, Hulu, Philo TV, Fubo TV and Spectrum TV Plus in the burgeoning online TV market that offers live and recorded streaming access to pay-TV without long-term contract.
England plays Belgium for third place July 14, in a match that can also be streamed on Fubo TV, the upstart service financially backed by 21st Century Fox, which is broadcasting the World Cup in the United States.