Disney+ outages reported as millions tune in to ‘WandaVision’
Kathryn Hahn #KathrynHahn
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“Wandavision” experienced an outage on early Friday morning. Marvel Studios
That’s one kind of cliffhanger.
“WandaVision” Episode 7 was put on pause early Friday morning as some Disney+ users experienced outages in the US, Canada and UK.
Fans who stayed up late to watch the beloved Marvel sci-fi series were left hanging as error messages played across their screens. Episode 7, which featured a big reveal around the character of Agnes (Kathryn Hahn), was set to drop on Disney+ at 3:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.
“Disney please I just wanna watch #WandaVision and go to sleep,” wrote fan @RachelKenobi along with the error message.
The outage lasted about 10 minutes, according to Deadline, and happened just as the episode dropped.
The Disney+ series, the first of its kind based on Marvel Universe characters, revolves around the domestic life of married heroes Wanda Maximoff, a k a Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), and Vision (Paul Bettany). Instead of a straight-forward action vehicle, the nine-episode series moves mysteriously through the decades, poking good-natured fun at classic sitcoms such as “The Dick Van Dyke Show.”
The show was watched about 6.5 million times in the US in its first week, according to Neilsen ratings. And since its release, it has only gathered more steam with critical acclaim and buzzy plots. It’s currently the most in-demand TV show in the world, according to Parrot Analytics, which measures hype based on social media, fan ratings and piracy data.
And the excitement around “WandaVision” has only grown with each episode’s weekly release.
“When we see a binge release series like we do on Netflix, we’re seeing demand skyrocket at first for like a week,” Wade Payson-Denney, insights analyst for Parrot Analytics told Forbes. “Whereas with weekly release, we see popularity gradually build over time, especially for a show like ‘The Mandalorian’ and ‘WandaVision.’”