Many local fans unable to buy fight on StarHub channel

Many local boxing fans who made a last-minute attempt to buy the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr bout on pay-per-view (PPV) channel offered by StarHub were not able to do so and vented their frustration on the telco’s Facebook page.

Some received “error” or “signal not available” messages, yet others claim they were able to buy the S$39.90 service, but did not receive the feed.

Mr Shaun Lee, a national serviceman, told TODAY he kept trying from 9am until noon before giving up and turning to other sources. “I am so disappointed with StarHub. I was at camp all week and only got home this morning and was told that I could sign up even before the match. They should have been prepared for last-minute purchases and should be able to keep up with heavy traffic. This is a big match and not many people have the time to buy the PPV early.”

In a statement issued last night StarHub said the PPV was offered since last Tuesday and there was a surge in demand in the morning yesterday. “The take-up for the Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight was encouraging and customers have been contacting us since April 28 to sign up ... We noticed a spike in traffic for both our hotline and Instant Buy via the set-top boxes after the ‘live’ telecast feed commenced at about 9am today. Around noon, we understand that most of our customers had successfully signed up to catch the Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight.”

The Guardian reported that cable TV customers in the United States also faced problems buying the PPV programme. It was unclear how many people had been unable to order, but a late rush did cause the fight to start late, said a representative of HBO, which co-produced and broadcast with rival premium cable network Showtime. Subscription for the fight in the US cost US$90 (S$120) for standard definition and US$100 for high definition, the most expensive pay-per-view ever for a boxing event.

Pay-per-view is the largest revenue stream for the fight and was expected to bring in at least US$300 million. The majority of the revenue goes to the boxers and Mr Mayweather, the winner of the fight, stood to take the lion’s share.

ADELENE WONG