“BTS COMEBACK LIVE: ARIRANG” unfolds at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, Saturday. Joint Press Corps
While BTS has staged a high-profile comeback concert, the viewing experience for fans tuning in through Netflix was marred by technical shortcomings, with poorly synchronized subtitles drawing widespread criticism.
Complaints over subtitle issues quickly spread across social media and online communities, as viewers voiced frustration with the live stream.
“English subtitles were out of sync and hard to follow,” one user wrote on Reddit. “Even half a day later, Netflix hasn’t fixed the crappy subtitles.”
“BTS COMEBACK LIVE: ARIRANG” marked Netflix’s first-ever global live event and music performance to be broadcasted globally from Korea, reaching audiences in 190 countries.
Complaints over subtitle synchronization on X / Captured from X
However, at the outset, subtitles were out of sync with the members’ remarks, falling short of expectations among both domestic and international viewers. As the concert progressed, synchronization issues persisted, with subtitles frequently appearing after songs had already concluded.
“I had high expectations for how well Netflix would handle the BTS live broadcast, but the audio and subtitle synchronization were a mess, and the screen occasionally froze. I hope it will be cleanly re-edited,” a Korean fan wrote on X.
Viewers also noted that subtitles often lagged behind during the performance, with certain lyrics remaining on the screen while the members had already moved on to the next verse.
Similar complaints over subtitle issues quickly followed, with viewers noting that the delayed captions often became distracting than helpful, prompting some to turn them off altogether.
Some viewers said minor discrepancies during real-time talk segments were an inevitable limitation of live translation. However, criticism over the poor synchronization of lyrics for predetermined songs was particularly sharp, with fans arguing that this should have been prepared in advance.
Given the scale of BTS’ global fandom and the international attention surrounding the group’s comeback live, multilingual subtitle support was seen as a critical component, amplifying criticism over the shortcomings.