Sportsnet apologizes for tennis flub, cites human error for losing feed
TORONTO – Sportsnet has apologized for its blown coverage Saturday of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
The semifinal match between Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka was down to the final points of the decisive tiebreaker when the feed from London disappeared. Bewildered tennis fans saw a package of canned hockey highlights before coverage resumed, with the match over.
“What occurred during the final moments of Saturday’s match between Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka was a result of human error,” a Sportsnet spokeswoman said in a statement Monday. “We posted an apology on social media following the incident but it was not immediately acknowledged on-air, so our viewing audience did not receive a proper explanation in the moment.
“Our audience was justifiably upset, and we sincerely apologize. We are not taking this situation lightly and will be taking appropriate action — we hold our on-air presentation team to the highest standards, and these standards were not upheld on Saturday during this tennis match. Our audiences deserve better.”
The initial apology via Twitter read: “Sportsnet apologizes for the transmission error which impacted the end of the ATP 1000 Barclays Semifinal – Federer v Wawrinka broadcast.”
The network did air the full match again later.
Federer won 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (6) but withdrew from Sunday’s final against Novak Djokovic citing back problems.
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