BERLIN, June 22: Television coverage of the World Cup in Germany initially sparked complaints from viewers who felt there were too many panorama shots in which players were too small to identify, broadcasters said.

“Yes, we did have some complaints from viewers about the panorama shots,” said Thomas Stange, a spokesman for the German public broadcaster ZDF, which is one of several German broadcasters showing free-to-air coverage of the tournament.

He did not give a figure for the numbers of complaints but said it had been an issue of concern for ZDF.

Stange said the situation had been raised by German broadcasters with HBS, the Swiss company that is providing the live television feeds to broadcasters around the world. “The situation has improved and the number of complaints has fallen significantly.”—Reuters