Game of Thrones season 6: Fans furious as HBO Now goes down before Battle of the Bastards
Viewers prayed to the Lord of Light for the service to come back online
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Season six of Game of Thrones is quickly coming to an end, viewers going into panic mode now that only one episode remains.
However, before the penultimate episode - titled ‘Battle of the Bastards’ - aired, fans were already feeling rather heated thanks to HBO.
On Sunday night, just as the highly-anticipated show was being broadcast, HBO Now went down, frustrating viewers hoping to stream the episode alongside those watching the terrestrial channel.
According to the downdetector.com, more than 15,000 reports were filed by users experiencing difficulties between 9pm and 10pm EST, 43 percent of which stemmed from people trying to watch via apps.
Tweeters were quick to blast the $14.99 a month service, criticising HBO for not being ready to handle the huge amounts of web traffic.
One viewer wrote on social media: “Good time for HBO Now to be down. Nobody is trying to watch anything important. Seriously, though, HBO, how were you not ready for this?” Another added: “This is the ONE night a week we need you to work.”
Soon after the first reports came in, HBO issued a statement on Twitter saying: “We're aware members are experiencing technical difficulties tonight. We hope to resolve this ASAP.” At 10.15pm, they posted: “We are pleased to confirm that successful streaming has resumed across all devices.”
Luckily, those outraged fans can watch their favourite show once more. And what an episode it was, the choreography stunning watchers. Meanwhile, another romance was teased (as was an intriguing bromance).
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments