‘Love is Blind’ Live Stream Issues Show Why Netflix Is Adding Live Events Slowly
Did you try to tune into the live “Love is Blind” reunion special Netflix offered on Sunday night? If so, you may have had to walk away frustrated. Many users faced delays of over an hour when trying to access the show, and Netflix was forced to issue an apology via Twitter for the technical issues that prevented many people from watching at all.
The reunion show was set to be the second-ever live event Netflix has produced; the first such event, the stand-up comedy special “Chris Rock: Selective Outrage” experienced minor delays for some users, but nothing like the major outage that afflicted “Love is Blind: The Live Reunion.” Users were initially offered the opportunity to submit questions for the “Love is Blind” cast that could be answered during the special, but it’s not clear how the delay factored into those plans. In fact, there has been no official explanation from Netflix as to why the delay happened at all.
Live streaming of events is hardly a new technology, though it is true that few companies have tried to offer it at the scale that Netflix — with its 230 million-plus global users — attempted on Sunday. Some complex technical glitch is almost certainly to blame, and it shows why Netflix hasn’t rushed to add more live events to its programming lineup.
The news is especially discouraging for users who wanted to see Netflix integrate live sports onto its platform. The company got as close as it ever has to doing so in 2022 when it reportedly threw its hat into the ring for the broadcast rights to Formula 1 racing. Netflix eventually lost its bid to ESPN, but the fact that it was willing to put money on the line for Formula 1 shows that the company thinks it’s ready to take the next step forward in its live content offerings.
Its most recent livestreaming issues should definitely give Netflix pause, however. The backlash generated on social media from the delay to “Love is Blind: The Live Reunion” was considerable, but it would be nothing compared to the outcry users would generate if Netflix delayed the transmission of a live sporting event like an NBA or NFL game.
It’s not as if Netflix has a ton of leeway with its users to make mistakes currently, either. Netflix customers are warily eyeing the news for mention of the service’s plans to crack down on password sharing, which could come any day now. One recent survey suggested that more than three in 10 Netflix users would cancel their subscription if such rules were enacted, so the company needs to tread very carefully if it plans to roll out any more live specials in the near future to ensure they go off without a hitch.
Despite the “Love is Blind: The Live Reunion” fiasco that took place over the weekend, there’s no chance Netflix is done with livestreaming for good. The company will start offering live broadcasts of the Screen Actors Guild awards in 2024, so there’s no going back for the company as far as live programming goes. But if Netflix ever wants to become a home for live sports — which it may or may not want to do — it will need to ensure the glitch that caused the “Love is Blind” special to be delayed is fixed for good.
Netflix
Netflix is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 3,000+ movies, 2,000+ TV Shows, and Netflix Originals like Stranger Things, Squid Game, The Crown, Tiger King, and Bridgerton. They are constantly adding new shows and movies. Some of their Academy Award-winning exclusives include Roma, Marriage Story, Mank, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.