Thousands of Netflix users were left without service Monday when the streamer’s network became caught in a connection-checking loop, according to reports.
The issue caused at least 17,000 error reports for the online service and left many users without service on Monday evening, according to Internet monitoring website Downdetector, Variety reported.
“We’re very sorry,” a Netflix spokesman told Variety, “but we’re having unexpected technical issues with Netflix for some members. Our engineers are working to fix this as quickly as possible and will share updates.”
The outage lasted from sometime after 4 p.m. to about 8 p.m. for some users.
One Netflix customer described the issue in an X post, writing, “When you try to play something the device you’re on (like a tv) thinks you have no internet connection so it makes you take a internet speed test and even though you pass it loops and wants you to restart the router etc”
for context:
When you try to play something the device you’re on (like a tv) thinks you have no internet connection so it makes you take a internet speed test and even though you pass it loops and wants you to restart the router etc
— Pyo 5️⃣ (@mrpyo1) December 11, 2023
Netflix confirmed that the issue — while not hitting every user — was a problem in multiple countries. Technicians are still unsure what caused the error messages and Internet connection requests.
. @netflix Can you please fix #NetflixDown problem asap coz I’m on my holiday & can’t waste my day sleeping or doing nothing. pic.twitter.com/k3jZlQIyGR
— Amolik Rattan Singh Aujla (@Amolik_Aujla) December 11, 2023
Same problem i have in Brazil! My connection is good, but i can’t watch nothing in Netflix! pic.twitter.com/ob8BnDY1Cg
— Diego NoiseDee Ellwanger (@noisedee) December 12, 2023
@netflix my @PrimeVideo is working, I don’t think it’s my router’s fault.. #Netflixdown pic.twitter.com/5ytmfDBLvF
— Alessandro Bedin (@Alessan73529291) December 12, 2023
You’re right, just tried it. Nothing works
— Gypsy Beast (@TheGypsyBeast) December 11, 2023
Had me resetting my router thinking my internet was the issue
— Chris (@ChrisJHall95) December 11, 2023
As if Netflix is trying to gaslight me into thinking I have bad WiFi #netflix #netflixdown pic.twitter.com/RKVakKWcEV
— Oz (@OzNxhvvdi123372) December 11, 2023
me heading straight over to prime after discovering netflix is down pic.twitter.com/Ci61LSJwxQ
— average n00b (@totalpivot) December 12, 2023
Netflix reportedly has more than 230 million global subscribers, but last year repaid fees to advertisers after missing viewership targets, a financial blow that sent the company’s stock tumbling more than 50 percent that year.
This year, shares fell again when the streaming giant reported that ad revenue cratered during the writers and actors strike.
In July, the company reported second-quarter earnings of $8.19 billion, which was well below the $8.3 billion expected by Wall Street analysts.
In October, the company announced that it planned to raise prices yet again as the writers and actors strike came to a close.
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