Basketball fans hoping to tune into the Liberty’s preseason game in Connecticut against the Sun were sorely disappointed on Thursday.
It’s unclear what the issue was that kept tripping up the multiple attempts to stream the game on YouTube, but it seemed as though it may have stemmed from a non-technical problem.
“This live stream has been terminated due to continuously unmonitored use of content that belongs to somebody else,” it read on the original live stream link that the team posted ahead of the game.
A screenshot of the stream also showed a notice it had been “suspended for policy violations.”
A second attempt by the Sun to stream the game ran into a similar problem with the link then going to a notice that said the video is unavailable and that it contained “content from Videocites NBA Account, who has blocked it on copyright grounds.”
After a third try led to the same issue, the team announced there would be no stream for the game.
“Sorry Sun Fans, we tried our best to livestream,” they said in a post on X. “I guess we’ll just have to see you in person all season long.”
The Sun did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter.
YouTube did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A page on the YouTube website explaining copyright issues with live streams reads: “When third-party content is identified, a placeholder image may replace your live stream. You’ll be warned to stop streaming the third-party content. If you comply with this warning and address the issues, your stream can continue.
“If the third-party content remains in your stream, your live stream will be temporarily interrupted or terminated. Your stream can also be terminated if you get a copyright or Community Guidelines strike.”
The exhibition tilt was the final one for the Liberty before they begin their season on Tuesday in the Nation’s Capital against the Washington Mystics.
The Sun starts its season at Mohegan Sun Arena on Tuesday against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever.