BBC iPlayer hit by technical problems
David Farnor | On 21, Jul 2014
BBC iPlayer has not been working for some users this weekend as the broadcaster’s website continues to be hit by technical problems.
The issues first became apparent on Saturday morning, when the BBC tweeted that some people were unable to access “parts of BBC Online”. Those parts included the Beeb’s flagship video on-demand service, BBC iPlayer, which boasts the tagline “making the unmissable, unmissable”.
We're fixing a problem that means some people can't access parts of @BBC Online. As soon as it's fixed we'll let you know.
— BBC iPlayer (@BBCiPlayer) July 19, 2014
The problem, though, was apparently not that easy to fix, with the outage continuing into Sunday:
Users are still unable to access @bbccouk on web or app. We're working to get this fixed ASAP. We're sorry for any inconvenience.
— BBC Homepage (@bbccouk) July 20, 2014
At one point, the Beeb even introduced a simplified version of the BBC homepage in an attempt to get things running smoothly again. The glitch, though, left users unable to watch content on iPlayer, from highlights of the F1 German Grand Prix to even the omnibus of the Archer’s. The error follow a recent revamp of BBC iPlayer, designed to make it easier to use.
Viewers took to the Internet to voice their unhappiness with the service, although this is the first major, prolonged outage to BBC iPlayer that VODzilla.co can remember.
Some users expressed sympathy:
After a weekend of attempted fixes, though, the problems have continued into Monday, with one viewer saying that it “still plays for a few minutes and then stops abruptly”.
“We’re aware of an issue which means some people can’t access certain parts of BBC Online,” a spokesperson told us.
“We’re working hard to fix this as soon as possible.”