We've asked Netflix for more details and will let you know if it can explain how and why its service went down. It's tempting to pin the failure on crushing demand for Luke Cage (which premiered just the day before), but there's no guarantee that this is the case. Netflix has previously coped with launch day demand for shows like House of Cards and Daredevil, so it's not as if Reed Hastings and crew are unfamiliar with traffic spikes. Whatever happened, it's a sore spot in what was supposed to be a banner weekend for Netflix.

Hi all - we are aware of streaming issues and we are working quickly to solve them. We will update you when they are resolved. — Netflix CS (@Netflixhelps) October 1, 2016