Here's why Netflix released 'Orange Is the New Black' early

The season's episodes were originally supposed to post at 3 a.m. ET. Instead, they dropped at 9 p.m. ET and caused an instant wave of excitement among fans.

"OITNB," the abbreviation for the show's title, began trending within minutes of Netflix's announcement, reported CNN.

So, why did Netflix release the season early? First and foremost, to create buzz around the show's release. That's a given and they accomplished that.

But, also the timing of the release coincided with an announcement made during Orange Con, a gathering of "OITNB" fans, cast members, and producers held Thursday in New York City, an individual close to the show told Business Insider. 

Here's some shots of the scene at OrangeCon:

Once the announcement was made at OrangeCon, the stars were given to the OK to spread the news to their fans via social media:

And the fans went justifiably berserk:

It will be interesting to see if this stunt improves viewership of "OITNB," but don't hold your breath. The streaming company is famously secretive about its viewing numbers.

A Netflix representative declined to comment for this article.