In theory, live streaming is an exciting step forward for the entertainment industry. The ability for outlets like Netflix or YouTube to stream an event as it happens in real time allows these relative upstarts to compete directly with broadcast television behemoths like ABC and NBC, which still attract massive audiences thanks to their ability to seamlessly broadcast live events like the Super Bowl, NBA finals and the Oscars.
But theory and reality are often two different things, and two separate live incidents over the weekend showed that live streaming still has some bugs it needs to work out.
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“Love is Blind” is one of Netflix’s most popular reality shows, as people can’t seem to get enough of the idea of people “falling in love” without ever seeing each other in the flesh.
As with nearly every reality show, each season is usually capped off with a reunion show, where all the principals get together to talk about what they’ve learned and how they’re grown, and in the case of “Love is Blind,” hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey dispense words of wisdom.
Usually, these specials are tapped in advance, but on the heels of the successful (and controversial) live stream of Chris Rock comedy special “Selective Outrage” earlier this year, Netflix (NFLX) decided to take a gamble on doing the same thing with a live taping of the season four reunion special of “Love is Blind.”
It didn’t work out.
Technical difficulties reared their ugly head, as the April 16 live stream failed to materialize. After an hour of delays, Netflix pulled the plug and later tweeted an apology.
“Love is Blind” was Netflix’s eighth most popular original series last year, which means that a lot of people were really, really mad about the snafu, and some competitors also took the time to roast the service.
But fear not, for this morning Netflix tweeted an update alongside a photo of the “Love Is Blind” cast, promising the stream would be ready Monday at 3PM ET.
And it appears to have worked.
Two Icons Said No Thanks To Live Streaming
In other streaming news, this past weekend YouTube streamed nearly every set of this year’s Coachella Music Festival, including performances from boygenius, BLACKPINK, Blink-182 and more. But two prominent icons did not allow their sets to be streamed: alt-icon Björk and the reclusive r&b polymath Frank Ocean.
The latter was especially frustrating for the fans who couldn’t make it to the desert, as it was set to be Ocean’s first live performance in six years, and fans were hoping for some new music. Instead, they found that YouTube cut them off (and also read reports that he was over an hour late). As you’d expect, people took to Twitter to signal their frustration.
