Who would have expected that the first death during the seventh season of Game of Thrones would be the pay TV network charged with distributing it digitally around Australia?
[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2017/07/game-of-thrones-season-7-episode-1-recap/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/game-of-thrones-season-7-episode-1-dany-dragnstone-410×231.jpg” title=”Game of Thrones Season 7 Episode 1 Recap: Dragonstone” excerpt=”Season 7 has officially landed! We have the full recap of episode 1 below for your reading pleasure. Let’s get cracking — there’s a lot to unpack.”]
Foxtel Now, the revamped IPTV component of the pay TV network that recently got an HD streaming upgrade, fell over tonight when it came around to Game of Thrones o’clock.
Internet Outages shows a massive jump for outage reports for Foxtel since 6PM today, and that can only be attributed to one thing: the massive surge in customers trying to log on, some for the first time, to watch the 8:30PM broadcast of Game of Thrones.
Here’s some honest feedback from one of our (understandably annoyed) readers, who emailed in to share their displeasure:
Dear Foxtel, if you are reading this, hire some capacity planners. Unprecedented demand should have been planned for when you are the sole owner of the license for distribution of the most popular TV show ever?
You finally give us the chance to come clean and legally try to watch a show, but then fall flat because of capacity issues which should have been foreseen.
If you don’t pile on the number of servers to properly cater for capacity THIS WEEK with all the money in your coffers, i daresay that many wont give you a second chance after next week. All those 2 week free memberships will not come back as paying customers, and you wont have anyone else to blame.
Regards, unhappy new subscriber who may or may not have to revert back to ‘other methods’.
And, of course, Twitter is ablaze with the wildfire of angry internet commenters:
Is FOXTEL Now crashing for anyone else?
Fuck my life #GameOfThones7
— Adam Valentine (@Adam86Valentine) July 17, 2017
Dear @HBO – this is why Australia leads the world in illegal downloads of #GameOfThrones. You licensed to the wrong company @Foxtel
— Julie Bright (@JulieMBright) July 17, 2017
Live footage of me trying to use Foxtel Go to legally watch Game of Thrones and it’s down pic.twitter.com/fVpZDR5MJZ
— Sheree Joseph (@tinyfleu) July 17, 2017
A accurate portrayal of @Foxtel to their customers. #FoxtelNow pic.twitter.com/rx9XQuNG7I
— Timothy St James (@timothyjames) July 17, 2017
Foxtel Outage Live Watch Now – >>https://t.co/O8w5JXPySL << RETWEET IF YOUR FOXTEL IS DOWN! pic.twitter.com/STEjAOL3lN
— Internet Outages (@networkoutages) July 17, 2017
How Foxtel Now users feel right now pic.twitter.com/vxxDHqA3Za
— C. Robertson (@C_N_Robertson) July 17, 2017
Update: Foxtel has issued an apology through Facebook.
Foxtel has also made a similar statement in a press release, also sharing the blame with the show’s producer HBO.
“Tonight’s global premiere of the new season of Game of Thrones has caused technical glitches around the world, with online sites crashing in the United States, Latin America and Australia.
The show’s producer and U.S. broadcaster, HBO, reported its technical systems could not cope and in Australia, the surge of demand for Foxtel’s recently launched online product, Foxtel Now, also experienced customer meltdown.”