Disney+ launch marred by glitches as demand overwhelms

(Reuters) – Walt Disney Co said demand for its much-anticipated streaming service, Disney+, was well above its expectations in a launch on Tuesday marred by complaints from users about glitches and connection problems.

Disney+ is relying on its extensive library of movies and TV shows as well as a new slate of content to take on market-leader Netflix Inc and Apple TV+, Apple Inc’s newly launched streaming service.

Shares of Disney were up 1.5%, while Netflix shares were down nearly 2%.

“The consumer demand for Disney+ has exceeded our highest expectations. While we are pleased by this incredible response, we are aware of the current user issues and are working to swiftly resolve them,” Disney said in a statement.

Some users said while trying to access the service, they were greeted by an image of “Mickey Mouse” on a blue screen, with a message asking them to exit the app and try again.

Other users had trouble finding the Disney+ app in Apple’s App Store.

It was not immediately clear as to how many users were affected by the outage.

“Not too surprised but @disneyplus looks like it’s already falling over. On FireTV Stick can’t load main page (Unable to connect to Disney+) and couldn’t play The Mandalorian (some account issue),” user @pmhesse here tweeted.

“Hopefully it’s worked out by tomorrow’s treadmill time.”

“The Mandalorian,” the latest in the “Star Wars” movie and TV franchise, is an eight-episode live-action series which stars “Game of Thrones” actor Pedro Pascal as a helmeted bounty hunter.

Users who could access the service, however, were upbeat about the service, which features content from the Marvel superhero universe, the “Star Wars” galaxy, “Toy Story” creator Pixar Animation and the National Geographic.

“Today is the perfect day to just stay home all day on my couch in my PJ’s binging all of my favorite Disney movies on #DisneyPlus,” tweeted @JulieDwoskin here