Foxtel blames HBO, demand surge for ‘Game of Thrones’ streaming crash

Cast member Kit Harington poses at a premiere for season 7 of the television series "Game of Thrones" in Los Angeles, California, U.S., July 12, 2017. Reuters/Mario Anzuoni

Foxtel’s “Game of Thrones” streaming did not go well on Monday, and it is blaming HBO. The Australian pay TV company has apologised after its users were not able to watch the popular fantasy series due to technical errors.

Australian fans of the show tuned in to watch the season 7 premiere on various Foxtel services on Monday but were instead met with the message “service unavailable.” The outage reports for the streaming service company (via Internet Outages) jumped from 6 p.m. until midnight, which meant its users were not able to watch the highly anticipated episode during its encore airing.

Foxtel attributed the error to the surge of demand from users, as well as HBO’s own system. Apparently, the US cable network had technical difficulties that affected viewers in Australia.

“The show’s producer and US broadcaster, HBO, reported its technical systems could not cope and in Australia, the surge of demand for Foxtel’s recently launched on line product, Foxtel now, also experienced customer meltdown,” the statement reads.

Spokesman Bruce Meagher further explained that the unprecedented rush for a subscription prior to the season premiere telecast caused the crash. This was also apparently the case in the US and Latin America.

“We assure anyone impacted that they will be able to watch the first episode of Season 7 either On Demand or via one of our encore screenings throughout the week,” he said. “We will continue to communicate with affected customers to ensure they are fully informed.”

Foxtel is the only streaming service in Australia that airs the show. Hence, its users were understandably upset that they couldn’t watch it. As social media users have pointed out, they subscribed to the service specifically so they could legally watch “GOT.” But with how Foxtel succumbed to demand pressure on the night of the telecast, it would have been easier just to pirate the show.

I may, or may not, be wanting to cancel my Foxtel subscription. And I may, or may not, be pirating right now.
— Roselina Press (@roselinarose) July 17, 2017

Your product is not fit for purpose under Australian Consumer Law. We demand a refund.
— No (@Exasperanto) July 17, 2017

Dear @Foxtel, we tried to do the right thing by paying for GoT. You failed us... This is why illegal downloads wins in Australia. #GoTS7
— Mark Revill (@ozewanderer) July 17, 2017

Foxtel: why do millennials use illegal downloads or Netflix instead of us

"Just offer a reliable, cheap service"

Foxtel: ok
...
[crashes]
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) July 17, 2017

@Foxtel I've never had to try so hard to legally watch a tv program in my life. ☠ ️ #GamesOfThrones
— mr. blanc (@Andy_Blanc) July 17, 2017

hey #foxtel don't buy exclusive rights to a tv show if you don't have the capacity to handle its viewers!!
— Nicole ⚓️ (@nicolexgaga) July 17, 2017

“Game of Thrones” season 7 premiere episode aired at 11:00 a.m. AEST on Monday, the same time as its US release, and at 8:30 p.m. It will have an encore screening on Foxtel on Wednesday 1:20 p.m., Thursday 10:10 p.m., Friday 11:25 a.m. and Saturday at 8:30 p.m.

MEET IBT NEWS FROM BELOW CHANNELS