Technical difficulties can be a major disruption, especially during a high-profile broadcast. Such was the case during ABC’s coverage of the Seattle Storm versus Indiana Fever game on Sunday.
Viewers from various locations, including San Antonio, TX; Washington, D.C.; and Watertown, NY, reported an unusual problem where they heard audio feeds in multiple languages simultaneously. This issue was not isolated to a single local affiliate but appeared across different regions with different ABC affiliates. This widespread issue suggests it was a persistent technical problem.
The audio glitch involved a mix of languages, leading to confusion and a less-than-ideal viewing experience. Some viewers also reported an echo in the English feed, further complicating the broadcast. The problem was significant enough to generate considerable discussion on social media.
Viewers in various regions have reported hearing both English and Spanish audio on the ABC broadcast of the Storm-Fever WNBA game.
Here's an example of this from the San Antonio ABC affiliate (KSAT): pic.twitter.com/fyCjFrYiOS
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 18, 2024
@InformNNY Tell your National feed to fix the broadcast of the Fever vs Storm game. There’s Spanish audio playing over the English audio.
— Patricia Ryan Curry (@pryancurry) August 18, 2024
if you’ve ever wanted to learn English and Spanish at the same time, go to ABC rn for the Storm-Fever game
— dylan (@dylangonzalez21) August 18, 2024
If anyone is interested they’re showing the Indiana Fever vs Seattle Storm on abc with both the English and Spanish broadcast playing at the same time over each other. Interesting strategy
— Chris (@TheRealCRam) August 18, 2024
Despite the disruption, the game was notable for Caitlin Clark setting a new WNBA rookie record for assists, an achievement that received commendation from basketball legend Isiah Thomas.
Caitlin Clark sets the WNBA single-season rookie assists record! 🏀🔥🔥🔥pic.twitter.com/ivVeXl9q9m
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) August 18, 2024
Caitlin Clark : 23 points on 9-19 shooting, 3-10 from 3, 2-2 from the FT line, 5 rebounds, 9 assists & 2 blocks in 36 minutes (Broke Ticha Penicheiro's WNBA rookie record for most assists in a single season) pic.twitter.com/vEfzeAca9T
— Lee Harvey (@MusikFan4Life) August 18, 2024
Let it be known that only a special few in our game's history can score while assisting teammates. https://t.co/3UkKLxD7O2
— Isiah Thomas (@IsiahThomas) August 18, 2024
This was the final WNBA game of the regular season to be broadcast on ABC. However, ABC and other ESPN networks will continue to air the WNBA playoffs. Fans will be hoping that such technical issues do not reoccur during the postseason, which is expected to showcase some of the best performances of the year.
