Stranger Things Premiere Crashes Netflix Worldwide

Netflix faced widespread outages across the globe precisely when the highly anticipated first four episodes of Stranger Things season 5 became available. Users reported an error code indicating a failure to connect to the service, with tens of thousands experiencing interruptions. This event mirrors past incidents where major live streams, such as a boxing match and a popular reality show reunion, caused similar access problems for subscribers.

The streaming giant's service faltered on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET, coinciding with the release of the initial Stranger Things episodes. Reports on outage trackers surged, signaling a significant technical challenge for Netflix during peak demand. The "NSEZ-403" error message suggested an inability to link user accounts to the Netflix platform.

This is not the first time a major release has tested Netflix's infrastructure. Previous widespread issues were noted during the live streaming of the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight in November 2024 and the Love Is Blind season 4 reunion in April 2023. Meanwhile, viewers who can access the platform are enjoying the early episodes of Stranger Things season 5, with more episodes scheduled for release on Christmas Day and New Year's Eve.