BBC iPlayer and ITVX TV support: check your device

Start with the device running the app

When BBC iPlayer or ITVX stops working, identify which device is running that app before checking support. It could be the TV’s own apps or an attached Set-top box, console or Streaming stick. The screen you watch on is not necessarily the device running the app: a television can show a picture from connected equipment with its own apps and software. If iPlayer is built into the TV but ITVX is running on a connected Roku device, you have two separate devices to check.

Record the service, device type, make and exact model. For an attached device, use its model rather than the TV’s model. If the device displays an app or software version, note that too, along with the exact warning or error code. These details determine which service list or troubleshooting instruction applies. A model name that is close to yours, or a match for the television when the app is running on a separate device, is not a useful comparison.

For a TV, find its model code in the TV’s information screen or on its product label. Samsung provides a specific on-screen route for its model code: Settings > Support > About This TV. Its model-code table includes a model-year component, so use the code and applicable model documentation rather than the year you bought the television. For other manufacturers, use the model shown on the TV itself and the manufacturer’s device information.

Then decide what kind of problem you are investigating. If the app displays a dated warning on a specific model entry, read the action attached to that entry. If the model is absent from a service list, check the exact model with the manufacturer and consider another device you already own. If video will not start or stops with ITV-1S-3016, follow that error’s power-off instruction. These are different situations: a model support check, an app-update message and a playback error each lead to a different next step.

There are two routes through the checks. First, compare the device running the app with that service’s device information and follow any requirement or note beside the matching entry. Second, if there is a specific error code, use the instruction for that code. Keep the two app checks separate when they run on different equipment. A supported TV app says nothing about the support status of a connected device, and a supported connected device does not answer the question for the TV’s own app.

BBC explains that a TV’s picture quality is separate from the “computer” that runs its apps. This computer may be built into the TV, a Set-top box or a Streaming stick. Over time, it may stop keeping up with app updates and security improvements; BBC says it removes iPlayer support only as a last resort, when it can no longer keep the service running smoothly. That distinction is useful when the screen still looks good but an app’s support changes: identify the equipment running the app before judging the television itself. Read BBC’s explanation of support removal [bbc.co.uk].

For BBC iPlayer, separate certification from the app warning

BBC supports devices it has certified following manufacturer submission, testing and manufacturer agreements. An uncertified device is not supported and may have problems with BBC iPlayer. To check a TV, open the manufacturer’s BBC certified-device page, then search for the model number: press Ctrl+F on Windows or Command+F on Mac and type the number. If it does not appear, that exact model is not in the certified list. Read the full matching entry rather than relying on the brand name or a similar model code. Use BBC’s model-search instructions [bbc.co.uk].

A model missing from the list may have different explanations. A new TV may still be awaiting certification, or the manufacturer may need to address an issue. An older TV may use technology that can no longer be updated. Because BBC tests devices submitted by manufacturers, absence alone does not identify which explanation applies or show that support has been permanently removed. Ask the manufacturer about the exact model if you need to understand its status.

BBC’s certified-device list shows a note on the 2020 Chromecast with Google TV entry: the iPlayer app needs to be updated before the end of September 2026. BBC says this message means the iPlayer app is not the latest version and directs users to the latest version available in Google Play Store. Open Google Play Store on the device and check whether an update for BBC iPlayer is available. This instruction is about the app. It is not a device-software update instruction, and seeing this message is not by itself a reason to replace the TV. Check the BBC Google device entries [bbc.co.uk].

The warning is attached to that one list entry. BBC lists Google TV Streamer 4K (2024), Chromecast with Google TV (2022), Chromecast with Google TV (2020) and Chromecast (2013) as distinct devices. For the 2020 model, check the app-update route above; for another model, search its own entry and follow its own notes. Do not carry the 2020 entry’s warning across to the other devices, or assume that another device could never need an app update.

Roku and NOW entries also need an exact model match. BBC lists NOW TV Set-top box 4200SK (2015) and 4500SK (2016) separately from Roku models 3810X, 3900X, 3910X and 4630X marked 2017. The Roku examples and NOW examples are separate rows, not approval for every device of those ages. BBC has not approved Roku devices purchased outside the UK for iPlayer, and BBC iPlayer content will not be available on them. Compare the model and purchase condition with the relevant BBC entry; do not use the year of another listed device as a substitute. Compare the BBC Roku and NOW entries [bbc.co.uk].

For ITVX, check the platform requirement and installed version

ITVX’s TV requirements depend on the platform. Use the requirement for the device running ITVX, and keep an on-demand-only feature limit distinct from a minimum model year.

Android 7.0 is not the Android TV requirement. ITVX gives that minimum for Phone and tablet devices; its Android TV listing says some models are unsupported and states no TV operating-system floor. Check the specific Android TV model against ITVX’s device information rather than treating the Phone and tablet minimum as a TV rule.

Roku and NOW need an additional version check. ITVX’s device page lists firmware v11.5.0 alongside Roku Streaming sticks, Roku OS-powered TVs and NOW Smart Sticks/Boxes. It also carries a notice specifying v15.1 for Roku and NOW sticks/boxes. The page does not give a year with that notice, so read the notice and the older main-list entry together rather than assuming v11.5.0 is sufficient. The notice names sticks and boxes; it does not extend its wording to every Roku TV. Check the device page’s current wording when comparing your recorded version.

On a Roku device, open Home > Settings > System > Software update > Check Now. The update screen shows the current software/build version and the date and time of the latest update. If an update is available, it downloads and installs automatically, then the Roku device restarts. Record the displayed version and compare it with ITVX’s device information. This menu is for Roku devices; it is not a menu instruction for NOW devices, and the check does not promise that every model will have an update available. See Roku’s software-check steps [support.roku.com].

If the exact device appears to meet a platform requirement but video will not play, use the wording or code on screen to choose the next action. An error code can have a specific instruction of its own. In particular, ITV-1S-3016 is a playback problem with a documented power-off step; it is not a reason to use a version threshold as a diagnosis. If there is no code and the support page says some models are unsupported, check the precise model rather than inferring support from its operating-system version alone.

Compare both services, then choose the next action

A 2016 Samsung TV shows why checking both services in one session matters. BBC explicitly lists K5500, K5510, KS7000 and KS8000 as 2016 TV entries in its Samsung certified-device table. ITVX lists 2016 Samsung models for on-demand TV only, while its general Samsung TV list starts at 2017. If your exact model is one of those named BBC entries, use that entry for iPlayer and apply ITVX’s separate on-demand-only limit. Do not extend the BBC examples to every Samsung TV made in 2016, or treat the ITVX feature limit as the BBC result. Find the matching Samsung entry in BBC’s table [bbc.co.uk].

For a worked model check, suppose the Samsung code is KS7000 and its model-year component is 2016. BBC names KS7000 among its 2016 entries, so check that exact BBC row for iPlayer. Separately, ITVX’s 2016 Samsung listing means on-demand TV only. If the code differs, search for that code in the BBC table and use ITVX’s Samsung requirement for the TV’s model year. The two results answer separate questions; neither list replaces the other.

For a Roku example, record the Roku model and installed software/build version. Compare the model with BBC’s individual Roku entries if the question is iPlayer, and compare the version with ITVX’s Roku/NOW information if the question is ITVX. Use the Roku menu to read its current version. The BBC’s 2017 Roku examples do not cover all models from that year, and ITVX’s older v11.5.0 listing is not the only version information on its page. This route helps distinguish a model match from a software-version question without treating one service’s list as the other’s.

If you find genuine unsupported-device information, check compatible

If you find genuine unsupported-device information, check compatible equipment you already own before replacing the TV. BBC’s examples include connected Sky, Virgin, BT TV or Freesat Set-top boxes; PlayStation or Xbox consoles; and Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV or Chromecast Streaming devices. These are options to check, not a prescribed order. If an external Set-top box is the affected device, the TV’s own app may provide another route. You can ask the provider whether a compatible replacement Set-top box is available, but availability is not guaranteed. See BBC’s options for equipment you may already own [bbc.co.uk].

Use the following procedure only for ITV-1S-3016. ITVX error code ITV-1S-3016 points to the playback device — the TV, Set-top box, or Streaming stick running ITVX — not to the router. If the message names a device, that is the device to work with. If it does not, identify which device was playing. ITVX notes that it may not always be able to display the device type.

For persistent ITV-1S-3016, fully power off the device playing the video at the wall or unplug it, wait 30 seconds, then power it back on. The remote power button may put it into standby only. ITVX says a factory reset is not necessary for this specific error. If the error persists, ITVX asks for the code, platform and programme being watched. This action applies to ITV-1S-3016; a different error needs the instruction for that code, while an unsupported model needs the model-support check above. Return to the ITVX platform and version check.

Finish by keeping one record for each app: the device running it, exact model, matching list entry or absence, relevant app/software version and message or code. That record tells you whether to follow a model entry, check the specific app update, compare installed software, use the ITV-1S-3016 procedure or look at compatible equipment already available to you. If the status of a missing model remains unclear, ask its manufacturer about that model.

Frequently asked questions

Does the year I bought a Samsung TV tell me its model year?

No. Use the model code. Samsung’s model-code information includes a model-year component, and the purchase date does not identify it.

If one Roku model appears on BBC’s list, does that cover another model from the same year?

No. BBC lists individual Roku models, including 3810X, 3900X, 3910X and 4630X marked 2017. Check the exact model you have.

Can the same television be listed differently for BBC iPlayer and ITVX?

Yes. Check each service’s information separately. For example, BBC names four Samsung 2016 models in its certified-device table, while ITVX lists 2016 Samsung models for on-demand TV only.

What if I do not know whether an app is built into the TV?

Check the device menu where the app appears and note the model shown for that device. If an attached device runs the app, use its model and version for that app’s support check.

Does the ITV-1S-3016 power-off step apply to other ITVX error codes?

It is the procedure for ITV-1S-3016. For a different code, use the instruction associated with that code.