Even with streaming services continuing to disrupt traditional broadcasters, potential technical pitfalls are still a problem.
Optus Sport was forced to apologise after its coverage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup was marred with technical glitches and buffering problems.
And unfortunately for media giant Disney, its long-awaited streaming service Disney+ has suffered a similar fate while launching in the US overnight.
As the service went live, social media was soon flooded with users reporting problems around accessing the service.
At least the error messages, which used a host of different Disney characters, provided some entertainment for the stranded viewers.
I mean, listen, Disney+ is cool and all but the only thing it’ll let me watch is “Unable to connect to Disney+” think I’ll just stick with Peacock
— Kidbehindacamera (@Lyricoldrap) November 12, 2019
Forget what you’re watching first on Disney +, what “Unable to Connect” character are you getting? pic.twitter.com/UdAvGY9P4h
— sincerely, ivy marie. 💫 (@sincerelyivy) November 12, 2019
https://twitter.com/benwassertweet/status/1194301694886199296
Disney quickly responded to the backlash, telling Twitter “The demand for #DisneyPlus has exceeded our highest expectations. We are so pleased you’re excited to watch all your favorites and are working quickly to resolve any current issues. We appreciate your patience”.
The demand for #DisneyPlus has exceeded our highest expectations. We are so pleased you’re excited to watch all your favorites and are working quickly to resolve any current issues. We appreciate your patience.
— Disney+ (@DisneyPlus) November 12, 2019
Complaints website Downdetector received more than 8,000 complaints about Disney+, with 58 per cent reporting problems around video streaming and 41 per cent having issues with login.
It has since been pointed out that Disney CEO Bob Iger said in 2017 “we’re going to launch big, and we’re going to launch hot”.
However, the problems around the launch will no doubt be just a small blip for the streaming service, which has a spate of Disney content available for users at the cost of $US6.99/month or $US69.99 annually. Prices in Australia are $8.99/month or $89.99 per year.
Disney+ will launch in Australia next week, on 19 November.
