Frozen! Disney+ launch is plagued by technical issues as thousands report trouble logging in and streaming after it launched to huge fanfare this morning - but service blames 'demand exceeding expectations'
- The $7-per-month streaming service launched at 3am EST on Tuesday
- Many users reported being 'unable to connect' to the service in its early hours
- Outage-mapping website Down Detector reported more than 7,300 problems with the service as of 9am EST
- 27 per cent were log-in issues and 70 per cent were problems with streaming
- Disney+ addressed the issues on Twitter, explaining that 'consumer demand has exceeded our high expectations'
- Nearly two million subscribers signed up for access to the catalog of 500 movies and 7,500 TV shows
Disney+ has been plagued by technical issues in the first several hours after it went live as more than 7,300 customers reported problems with logging in and streaming.
Nearly two million subscribers signed up for the $7-per-month streaming service ahead of its long-awaited launch at 3am EST Tuesday, eager to dive into its catalog of 500 movies and 7,500 TV shows - a mix of Marvel and Star Wars movies and shows, classic animated films and new series.
However, many customers found themselves 'unable to connect' to the service in its early hours.
Outage-mapping website Down Detector reported more than 7,300 problems with the service as of 9am EST. Of those problems, 27 per cent were regarding log-in and 70 per cent were struggles with streaming.
Disney+ addressed the issues on Twitter, writing: 'The consumer demand for Disney+ has exceeded our high expectations. We are working to quickly resolve the current user issue. We appreciate your patience.'
Disney+ has been plagued by technical issues in the first few hours after it went live at 12am PST. Dozens of customers shared error messages like the one above on social media
Outage-mapping website Down Detector reported more than 7,300 problems with the service as of 6am PST
Disney+ addressed the technical issues on Twitter, blaming high consumer demand
The $7-per-month streaming service attracted nearly two million subscribers ahead of its long-awaited launch at 3am EST Tuesday. Its catalog features 500 movies and 7,500 TV shows - a mix of Marvel and Star Wars movies and shows, classic animated films and new series
At a media event last week, the head of Disney's Direct-to-Consumer and International unit, Kevin Mayer, predicted that there could be technical issues given the thousands of hours of TV available on the site.
'There are always technical glitches and you can always improve the technical performance of any service like this,' Mayer said.
Users affected by the issues were less forgiving given how long they'd waited to finally check out the streaming service, many of them taking to social media with their complaints.
'I cannot access my Disney Plus account on my first attempt this morning,' one user tweeted. 'Tried to reset password given error code 86 and told I was blocked.'
Another wrote: 'Anyone else get their account locked upon entering their passwords for the first time for Disney Plus?
'Great experience ... still on hold with customer service for 20+ minutes ... glad I prepaid for 3 years.'
'Not too surprised but @disneyplus looks like it's already falling over,' another person tweeted.
'On FireTV Stick can't load main page (Unable to connect to Disney+) and couldn't play The Mandalorian (some account issue).'
However, customers who were able to access Disney+ raved about the massive selection online, many of them commenting that they weren't sure what to stream first.
'If you don't hear from me for a few days, I'm busy reliving my early childhood,' one user tweeted.
'Today is the perfect day to just stay home all day on my couch in my PJ's binging all of my favorite Disney movies on #DisneyPlus,' another wrote.
Users reported being unable to watch one of the most highly-anticipated offerings in the Disney+ catalog - The Mandalorian - because there was no play button or episodes listed
Disney+'s initial launch included the US, Canada and Netherlands. The service will launch in Australia, New Zealand and Puerto Rico on November 19 and across Western Europe in March 2020.
There's a lot riding on the gamble, as traditional media companies seek to siphon the subscription revenue now going to Netflix and other streaming giants.
With an advertising blitz, low entry price and coveted library of older movies and shows, Disney should 'blow the doors off initially,' said Pivotal Research Group analyst Jeffrey Wlodarczak.
But the challenge will be keeping those subscribers in the long run.
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