Talpa Network has officially announced that it will issue a full refund to every football fan who purchased the pay-per-view livestream for the FC Sion vs. Ajax European playoff match. The decision follows severe technical glitches on Talpa’s streaming platform, KIJK, which left thousands of paying supporters staring at broken connections during the opening minutes of the match.

Ajax traveled to Switzerland to face FC Sion on Thursday evening in a vital UEFA Conference League play-off match. The broadcasting rights for the away fixture were held by Talpa. Because it wasn’t on standard TV, fans had to pay a one-time fee of €4.99 to watch the match live via the KIJK app/website.

Immediately before kickoff, the livestream completely crashed. A massive influx of users triggered widespread technical faults, blocking a significant portion of the audience from accessing the feed.

The severe buffering and connectivity failure lasted for roughly the first 20 minutes of the first half. Ironically, once the stream stabilized, viewers saw Ajax secure a 2-4 victory.

Furious Ajax supporters flocked to social media platforms, particularly X, formerly Twitter, to vent their frustration at the media company, labeling the service an absolute “failure” and demanding immediate compensation. Many fans were already irritated by the fact that an official European fixture was tucked away behind an external digital paywall rather than being on main television channels.

Talpa responded rapidly to the outcry by confirming a 100% refund policy. Every single person who purchased the €4.99 stream will be fully reimbursed. Customers do not need to fill out forms or contact customer service; the full purchase price will be automatically sent back to the bank accounts used during the transaction.

A spokesperson for Talpa apologized to the fanbase through Dutch media outlets. “While a portion of our viewers was able to follow the stream correctly, we find it incredibly frustrating that a large group did not have immediate access. This stands directly at odds with the quality and experience we strive to provide. We are taking internal measures to guarantee our viewers can count on our high standard for future events.”