The Walking Dead
This image released by AMC shows Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in a scene from the season four premiere of "The Walking Dead."
(AMC, Gene Page | The Associated Press)
Some Time Warner Cable customers saw a shocking twist during the season four finale of "The Walking Dead" when their televisions went completely dark.
Social media users in Central New York complained the hit zombie series was appearing with glitches or not all. The picture would freeze or skip, and at one point it was replaced by blackness for several minutes during the hour-long episode.
- "AMC STATION for Time Warner Cable in Central NY has gone out! No walking Dead after 38 minute mark!#TheWalkingDead,"
- "Time Warner is going to make me have a full fledged grown-up temper tantrum! #WalkingDead #glitch #TimeWarnerCable,"
- "What the HELL @TWC ?!? I just want to watch #TheWalkingDead without the channel messing up,"
"Our apologies for issues with AMC. We are investigating issues and working to resolve it as quickly as possible," the cable provider's official customer service account tweeted at 9:36 p.m. Sunday. It did not elaborate on the cause.
The issue appeared to be limited to just the cable network that shows "The Walking Dead," but that didn't offer much comfort for fans of the highly-rated show. More than 16 million watched the season four premiere in October, setting a record for cable television.
TWC and AMC appeared to resolve the problems for most before the finale's chilling conclusion: "They screwed with the wrong people," Rick Grimes (played by Andrew Lincoln) said just before the credits rolled.
But some subscribers were still left unsatisfied with their service and threatening to switch to other cable providers.
- "Our DVR only taped half of the Walking Dead finale. WE HATE YOU @TWC,"
- "@TWC you are the worst cable provider on earth. Best believe I'm calling verizon tomorrow.,"
- "#TWC signal out right now in upstate #NY during the #TheWalkingDead #finale. Fans hating life right now. Get #Verizon #Fios people,"
In the Syracuse area, Time Warner Cable's competitors include Verizon FiOS and Dish Networks. TWC already invoked the wrath of some customers last month when it announced it was raising rates and adding a "broadcast TV" fee, increasing bills by an average of 6.4 percent.
Time Warner Cable lost 306,000 subscribers last year, in part due to a month-long blackout of CBS stations over a dispute in New York City, Los Angeles and Dallas.
Comcast reached a $45 billion deal in February to acquire Time Warner Cable. Comcast's subscriber total is expected to reach 30 million when the deal is finalized later this year.