Japan fought back twice to start their World Cup campaign with an entertaining 2-2 draw with the Netherlands, but ITV viewers were not impressed
ITV microphone (Image: (Richarders Sell/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images))
The Netherlands and Japan may have played out an entertaining 2-2 draw, but ITV viewers weren’t too impressed. Hajime Moriyasu’s side came from behind twice, with Virgil van Dijk taking the lead with a header and Crisencio Somerville taking the lead back.
ITV has received a lot of praise for its studio. The venue is located in Brooklyn, New York, with a stunning backdrop of the Manhattan skyline.
However, viewers watching at home on Sunday night were less than impressed with the picture quality they were getting from the station. Many of those viewers then took their grievances to social media site X.
One person wrote: “What’s up with @ITV’s picture quality? It’s really bad. I’m glad I’m not a football fan because I couldn’t sit and watch a game like that.”
Another said: “The picture quality on @ITV for the World Cup is terrible. They should have stayed in Salford and invested in camera technology. It’s like watching Granada on a rented 24 inch in the early 80s.”
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A third fumed: “@ITV what’s wrong with the bad quality of the World Cup matches? The Japan vs Netherlands match gave me a headache and I had to stop watching it. Same thing with the last match.”
Another ranted: @itvfootball has been thrown in the trash. The quality is worse than dial-up streams from 20 years ago. It literally makes my eyes go crazy. That’s terrible @ITV. ”
Another asked: “Why is the quality of ITV’s World Cup so bad? Where else can I watch it?”
And a sixth wrote: “Thank you ITV for showing us a lower resolution picture than the last time the World Cup was held in Mexico.”
Mark Pugatch and Roy Keane are both part of the ITV squad for the World Cup (Image: Getty Images)
ITV’s coverage is led by Mark Pugach, Laura Woods and Semra Hunter. The full list of critics includes Roy Keane, Ian Wright, Gary Neville, Duncan Ferguson, Patrick Vieira, Karen Carney, Ange Postecoglou, Juan Mata, Emma Hayes, Ferguson, Jobi McAnuff and Bradley Wright-Phillips.
And ahead of the tournament, ITV Sports Director Niall Sloan said: “This is the biggest FIFA World Cup in history and we’ll be broadcasting every big moment for free, live from New York City, throughout the tournament.”
“Nothing unites British viewers like a global sporting event, and no event as big as this. Our broadcast line-up is unrivaled and with comprehensive coverage across ITV, ITVX, World Cup 24/7 channels and digital platforms, ITV viewers will never miss a moment.”
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