Photo By Giordano Rossoni on Unsplash

Netflix Outage Affects Millions of Users

December 12, 2023

Lucille Barilla

Netflix users needed help streaming their favorite shows on Dec. 11. The culprit of this pause was identified by an error message “tvq-pb-101,” which started at around 5 p.m. EST and was resolved at about 8 p.m. EST. 

However, the issue wasn’t widespread. Some users nationwide could stream the channel fine, while others were met with the error message. Netflix’s status page failed to note the issues for several hours before updating.

Outage tracking website Downdetector.com, which tracks outages by collecting status reports from users, showed Netflix outages counting upwards of 17,000 across the country. Downdetector reports incidents when the number of problems recorded is significantly higher than the typical volume for that time of day. 


During the outage, a Netflix rep said to Variety, “We’re very sorry, 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.”

Early in 2023, Netflix’s livestream of the reunion of the dating show “Love Is Blind” experienced significant delays. The culprit turned out to be a glitch in its system introduced after its engineering team made performance tweaks.

On Oct. 18, 2023, Netflix increased the cost of its most expensive plan in the U.S. by $3 to $23 and its basic plan by $2 to $12 while keeping two other plans the same. 


According to Variety, Netflix sent a letter to shareholders, which accompanied its Q3 financial results, that said, “While we mostly paused price increases as we rolled out paid sharing, our overall approach remains the same — a range of prices and plans to meet a wide range of needs, and as we deliver more value to our members, we occasionally ask them to pay a bit more.” 

Netflix maintains that its monthly plans still come under the cost of a one-time movie theater ticket.

Recent News

Massive Data Breach Hits Ticketmaster, Affecting 560 Million Customers

Ticketmaster has fallen victim to a significant cyber-attack, potentially compromising the data of up to 560 million customers. The breach was confirmed by Ticketmaster’s parent company, Live Nation, which revealed that a notorious hacking group, ShinyHunters, is behind the attack. The hackers are demanding a ransom of approximately £400,000 to prevent the data from being sold on the dark web.

Toyota Recalls 100,000+ Tundra and Lexus LX SUVs Over Engine Debris Issue

Toyota has announced a recall for over 100,000 Tundra pickups and Lexus LX SUVs in North America due to potential engine issues caused by machining debris. This recall affects certain 2022-2023 models of the Tundra and LX, which are equipped with the new V6 twin-turbo engine. The V6 twin-turbo engine has faced considerable scrutiny regarding its reliability, especially when compared to the previous naturally aspirated V8 engines.

Wordle and Worldle Battle Over Names

A legal dispute has erupted between the wildly popular word game Wordle and the lesser-known geography game Worldle, centering on the similarity of their names. Wordle, which was developed by Josh Wardle in 2021 and later acquired by the New York Times in 2022 for a substantial sum, has gained immense popularity. In this game, players have six attempts to guess a five-letter word. 

FDA Issues Recall for Crecelac Goat Milk Infant Formula

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a safety alert regarding Crecelac Goat Milk Infant Formula and other infant formula products imported and distributed by Dairy Manufacturers Inc. The alert highlights Cronobacter contamination concerns with Crecelac Infant Powdered Goat Milk Infant Formula. Although Dairy Manufacturers Inc. initiated a recall on May 24, 2024, due to non-compliance with FDA regulations, new findings of Cronobacter contamination have prompted further action.