Streaming shambles

World Cup fans in Australia are furious after an experiment to show some games only via live streaming for the first time failed because broadband infrastructure could not cope with demand.

The backlash among those left staring at a blank error screen has been so intense that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull stepped in, telling telecommunications firm Optus to get its act together. "I have spoken with the Optus CEO, Allen Lew. He assures me he is giving the World Cup streaming problems his personal attention," tweeted Turnbull.

Public broadcaster SBS has now stepped in and will screen group-stage matches on free-to-air television while Optus, labelled "Floptus" in local media, attempts to sort out its problems.