The launch of Disney+ has been highly anticipated and no mater how much preparation was put in, it seems the demand was just too high. Just a few hours after launching, the streaming service was reported to be facing technical difficulties, with 35 percent of people reporting log-in problems and 64 percent struggling with streaming, according to Deadline.
Likewise, the Verizon site for the free offer of 12 months of the service to all new and existing 4G LTE and 5G unlimited wireless customers was also down. In late October, Disney announced they had partnered with the telecom company, making it the exclusive U.S. wireless carrier partner for Disney+. Verizon’s wireless customers on unlimited-data plans will be getting the highly anticipated Disney+ free for one year.
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+ Help (@DisneyPlusHelp) November 12, 2019
Just last week, Kevin Mayer, head of Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer and International unit, predicted the streaming service would face some glitches, stating, “There are always technical glitches and you can always improve the technical performance of any service like this.”
The service, which debuted today (Nov. 12) in the U.S., Canada and the Netherlands, will expand to Australia and New Zealand on Nov. 19, and Western Europe (UK, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain) on March 31, 2020. By the end of its first year, the streaming service will include 25 new original series, 10-plus movies, 7,500 past episodes, 100 recent movies and 400 library titles from the Disney vault.