Fans call out 'horrendous' detail as broadcast of PNG game highlights $3 billion problem

Australian NRL fans have expressed concerns over the level of broadcast quality coming out of Papua New Guinea as the country moved an important step closer to entering the competition on Sunday. On a historic day where Prime Minister James Marape announced PNG's NRL team would be known as the Chiefs when they enter the comp in 2028, viewers back in Australia were blowing a fuse over the poor quality pictures and sound during the Australia PM XIII v PNG fixture in Port Moresby.

The complaints actually started before kick-off when Marape's on-field speech – to officially launch the Chiefs' name - could barely be heard by the television audience due to the substandard audio feed from the Santos National Football Stadium. Once the game started, viewing discontent only grew as the picture quality resembled something from a 1980s family home video.

Accustomed to the best in HD clarity, fans felt like they were suddenly transported back to the Winfield Cup era. The audio was also crackling at times and the sound effects from the venue muffled.

One fan posted on social media: "They've got 3 years to get some decent audio/visual…production quality is horrendous. Can't hear a word and looks like it’s being shot on a potato."

Another added: "The next broadcast deal must also include EVERY game to be broadcast in 4K. This quality is disgraceful."

Andrew Voss calls out issues that NRL needs to fix

Veteran Fox League caller Andrew Voss, who was commentating the game alongside Greg Alexander in a Sydney studio, did his best to stay diplomatic but admitted to concerns over the pictures and sound. "Technically, we've got some work to do," he said during the call.

"We've got years to do it, of course, but I've seen a fair bit of football come out of Port Moresby and sometimes we do have some issues there. It needs to be NRL standard…we'll work on that."

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As if to illustrate Vossy's point, the coverage completely froze with 11 seconds left in the game, leaving viewers watching a technicolour kaleidoscope as players shook hands at full-time. "We've got some poorly timed technical issues as well," Voss said as screens froze. "I think the rain's got the better of the equipment."

The good news is the Chiefs – who will become the NRL's 19th franchise - have until 2028 to iron out any kinks. With the NRL working on a new rights deal that it hopes will net more than $3 billion, broadcast facilities and quality is a non-negotiable component of their entry to the competition.

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