Thousands of users report issues with Paramount+ during Super Bowl LVIII

Frustrated Paramount+ subscribers took to social media after the streamer started experiencing technical issues shortly after Super Bowl LVIII pre-game festivities Sunday, Feb. 11. 2024.

CBS and parent Paramount Global had been heavily promoting Paramount+ ahead of the big game as the exclusive U.S. streaming home for coverage. 

Coverage was carried on the CBS television network as well as a kids-themed version of Nickelodeon in addition to the stream.

It was not immediately clear what the problem was, but users reported receiving error code 3002 and a message reading “We’re having some trouble playing this video. Please try again.”

The screen suggested users check their Internet connections or restart their equipment, though neither solution appeared to provide a widespread fix.

With cord-cutting hitting record highs, Paramount+ likely could have expected record viewership had the stream worked consistently. 

Many viewers attempting to watch the game of Paramount+ were unlikely to have a cable or satellite subscription, leaving a few options to catch the game with an Internet-only connection.

Users could have switched to free over-the-air signals from their local CBS affiliate, though this requires having an antenna unit or built-in antenna. Some TVs also have to be configured to watch channels over the air.

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Other options could have included web-based TV providers such as YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling or others. 

Viewers even could have leveraged the free trials most providers offer to get access to the game after Paramount+ began having issues.

CBS itself was encouraging users to sign up for a free Paramount+ trial as way to stream the game without a traditional TV subscription, likely hoping that at least some would stick around for other content. 

With the Super Bowl stream debacle, however, it appears at least some consumers have soured on Paramount+, though it’s not clear what long-term effect the issues could have on the streamer’s numbers.

It’s not immediately clear how long the outage persisted, though some users will still reporting issues into the second quarter.

Most streaming platforms anticipate traffic surges ahead of big TV events and take steps ensure their technical infrastructure can handle the spike in data-heavy video. It’s not clear what plans Paramount had put in place.

Like any streamer, Paramount+ is reliant on a complex network of data centers and servers to send out video content. Like any technical setup, this is always prone to failure at multiple points. 

As of this writing, Paramount has not issued official word on the issues thousands of users reported during the Super Bowl.