- The highly anticipated reunion episode of Netflix's "Love Is Blind" was delayed on Sunday.
- Fans eagerly awaiting the live stream were disappointed, and even enraged, by the delay.
Angry fans have lashed out at Netflix after the highly anticipated "Love is Blind" live reunion was delayed because of technical issues.
The special episode of Season 4 of the hit reality show was supposed to air at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday. But shortly before that, the streaming giant tweeted that it would be up within 15 minutes, The New York Times reported.
About an hour and a half after the scheduled start time, Netflix tweeted an apology, saying that it was "incredibly sorry" for the delay.
"To everyone who stayed up late, woke up early, gave up their Sunday afternoon… we are incredibly sorry that the Love is Blind Live Reunion did not turn out as we had planned. We're filming it now and we'll have it on Netflix as soon as humanly possible. Again, thank you and sorry," Netflix's tweet at 9:29 p.m. ET said.
Later at 1:40 a.m. ET, Netflix tweeted that the show would be available "globally at 12pm PT on April 17. Promise."
—Netflix (@netflix) April 17, 2023
At 2 a.m. ET, however, "The Reunion" special was still unavailable, according to checks conducted by Insider. But some media reports — including The Washington Post — said that the episode eventually aired around 9:15 p.m.
"Love Is Blind," which has four seasons on Netflix, chronicles the experiences of singles who try to fall in love without ever seeing each other face-to-face. It is one of Netflix's most popular shows, more than once sitting atop Netflix's top 10 list.
But the delay tested the patience of the show's fans, many of whom took to social media to vent.
A Twitter user, CandiceOBeauty, wrote: "How you gonna test going live NOW. This is like making Mac n cheese for the first time ever on Christmas day. NOW AINT THE TIME BABY." The tweet was viewed 82,300 times as of press time.
—Candice O (@CandiceOBeauty) April 17, 2023
Even Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez chimed in, tweeting: "Someone call Lucia the seamstress to fix this," referring to a seamstress who fixed one of the cast's trousers before he was about to get married.
—Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 17, 2023
Netflix's competitors were quick to capitalize on the technical mishap. Bravo, the network which runs "The Real Housewives of New Jersey," tweeted at 8:28 p.m. ET that it would never "keep you waiting for a reunion," adding a winking emoji.
—Bravo (@BravoTV) April 17, 2023
Currently, Netflix remains the most-watched streaming service globally and had about 647 million viewers in 2022, with rivals like Amazon Prime and Disney+ coming close behind. Netflix reported an annual revenue of $31.6 billion in 2022.
A representative for Netflix directed Insider to Netflix's tweet when asked for comment.