Fans inside the World Cup stadium in Sao Paolo able to enjoy Lopez' singing, but the experience of many at home is hampered by "appalling" sound quality
10:09PM BST 12 Jun 2014
The World Cup got off to a faltering start on Thursday night when poor sound quality left many television viewers unable to enjoy the opening ceremony.
Jennifer Lopez took to the stage to sing the official Fifa song We Are One (Ole Ola), looking on fine form for 44.
But while those inside the stadium were able to enjoy her singing, the experience of many at home was hampered by "appalling" sound quality, which left the voices of Lopez and her co-singer Pitbull, the US rapper, sounding faint and "tinny".
A source at ITV, which broadcast the ceremony in Britain, said that it had "no control" over audio levels because a single feed was distributed around the world.
An ITV spokesman said: "The sound problem that regrettably caused some disruption to viewers was caused by a technical issue with the host broadcaster, which provides the coverage of all the action at this year's World Cup."
As hundreds of users complained about the sound on social media websites, the incident threatened to further dampen the tournament's opening amid questions about the quality of Brazil's football pitches and ongoing protests in Sao Paulo.
Philp Hay tweeted: This must be what singing sounds like in space while Ibrahim Salha said: "This performance is an absolute mess".
Mike Norman tweeted: "Early days but this is a truly awful opening ceremony. Very poor sound quality... or is that just my TV?"
Nick Daniels said: "I have been to school plays more professional than this".
Anothet viewer added: "Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull looked amazing... Sound quality was terrible though."
The show staged at the Corinthians Arena, Sao Paulo, kicked off with a giant LED ball centrepiece flashing welcome messages in the languages of the 23 qualifying countries.
Performers from dance schools and academies in the city then flooded into the stadium dressed as symbols of Brazil's stunning natural landscape: raindrops, men towering on stilts dressed as rainforest trees, and colourful flowers.
To close the 'diversity'-themed second half of the ceremony, Pitbull and Lopez were joined by a Brazilian pop star for their performance of the official FIFA song.
For England fans at least, concerns about sound quality may well fade if Roy Hodgson's team keep their hopes alive when they face Italy in their first match on Saturday night.
- Alan Tyers' opening ceremony review
- Best pictures from the opening ceremony
- Opening ceremony: as it happened
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