NBC's Super Bowl coverage was marred by several snafus including a 30-second blackout during one of the most-watched events of the year in TV.
The network's coverage briefly cut to a black screen and dead air, which left viewers confused for the half-minute blackout.
Early in the game, when the screen went black, it returned to NFL commentators Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth who made no mention of the mishap. In the moment, many fans wondered if it was a glitch happening with their own televisions.
Somebody just got fired at NBC. #blackout #SuperBowl
— Keith Maliszewski (@WarRoomKeith) February 5, 2018
So @nbc just spent $5mill on total darkness...brilliant #SuperBowlLII #blackout
— kitchentoke (@kitchentoke) February 5, 2018
What was that about? 😞 #blackout
— My Name Here (@DaShawn_J) February 5, 2018
Not long after, an NBC spokesperson released a statement explaining the situation.
"We had a brief equipment failure that we quickly resolved. No game action or commercial time were missed," the statement said.
The next technical error to impact Super Bowl 52 came during Justin Timberlake's Halftime Show.
Viewers took to social media to complain that they had a hard time hearing Timberlake's 14-minute performance which included his hits like "Can't Stop the Feeling" and "SexyBack."
No. It's an awful half-time show. Everything @nbc has touched during this #SuperBowl has been awful. #Blackout
— Jack Napier (@WhySoSereUS) February 5, 2018
why does justin timberlake sound like someone locked him in a washing machine and he jst started singing in hopes someone would hear and rescue him
— jst doing my worst (@worstcat95) February 5, 2018
What’s happened to the sound for Justin Timberlake’s #HalfTimeShow? It’s dreadful. #SuperBowl
— Philip Nolan (@philipnolan1) February 5, 2018
The final snafu of the night came after the Super Bowl ended.
The most-anticipated "This Is Us" episode yet aired after the Super Bowl and did not start until about 10:45 p.m.
Many fans complained about the late start time for the emotional episode. The show wrapped up just before midnight, leaving some fans cranky.
Incredibly stupid idea to show a crucial #ThisIsUs episode after the Superbowl. Too late on the East Coast.
— Princess (@PrincessKoa) February 5, 2018
#NBCThisisus people on the east coast love football and This is Us but we do have to work. Midnight is way too late.
— Lisa Ezzi (@lisaezzi1) February 5, 2018
Meanwhile, other fans said they missed the end of the show because their DVRs did not capture the full episode thanks to the Super Bowl running over.
Naturally, social media lit up with outrage, however, NBC did caution their viewers to set their DVRs to record overtime in "This Is Us" promos.