If you are experiencing the issue of YouTube TV not working on Roku, there are several reasons for this issue to occur on your device. Such reasons are software issues, update issues, and internet connection issues. In order to fix this, issue you need to follow some steps as described in this article in the following sections.

YouTube TV Streaming Service

According to the surveys conducted the YouTube TV streaming service is a well-known and popular streaming service around the United States of America. Using this streaming service on the Roku device users can enjoy their favorite content on NBC, ABC, FOX, and CBS channels. Among the other streaming events, sports events are the most popular events among the users of this streaming service. Like other streaming services available all around the world, the YouTube TV streaming service also uses paid subscription plans for its users to offer their streaming service.

Why is YouTube TV not Working on Roku?

When you are using the YouTube TV streaming service on a Roku device for your entertainment one of the issues you may come up with is this YouTube TV not working on Roku devices. Imagine that when you are watching your favorite content on YouTube TV suddenly this problem occurs to your Roku device and you cannot do anything to fix it. That experience will be a bitter one.

But do not worry there are some steps that you can follow to fix this problem on your Roku device. So please follow these steps carefully if you want to fix this problem.

Solution 1: Check your internet connection

First, we need to make sure that you have a good internet connection before going any further. YouTube TV is one of the leading streaming services which allows you to watch your favorite content. So it requires a good internet connection with a good downloading speed. If your connection is poor, then this might be the reason for the YouTube TV not working on the Roku device.

The first thing you want to do is to check the internet connection speed that you are using to watch the YouTube TV streaming service on the Roku device.

Checking your internet speed

• Go to the internet browser using your smartphone.
• On the web, search bar type speedtest.net and search for it. This is an online speed test site that is free for everyone.
• Once you reach the website click on the go button to start the test.

If you want to have a better experience with the YouTube TV streaming service, you should have a good download and upload speed with your internet service provider. The result you are getting from this site should match the subscription details of your internet service provider.

The recommended internet speeds are as follows:

• 4K: 20 Mbps
• HD 1080p: 5 Mbps
• HD 720p: 2.5 Mbps
• SD 480p: 1.1 Mbps
• SD 360p: 0.7 Mbps

If there is a problem with your internet connection it might be a result of the faulty Wi-Fi device. You can check this issue by following these steps:

• Please turn off the Roku device you are using to watch YouTube TV streaming services.
• Turn off the Wi-Fi device and unplug it from the power source.
• After a few minutes please plug the Wi-Fi device to power again.
• Then please wait for a little while until it turns on all the light indications it has.
• Please turn on the Roku device.
• Now connect to the internet and open the YouTube TV application.

 After these steps please check whether the issue still occurs or not.

In case you are not having a stable internet connection, you can follow these steps to fix it.

• When you are using the YouTube TV streaming service via your Roku device, you can disconnect other devices from using your Wi-Fi connection. This will allow your Roku device to use the full speed of your internet connection to provide you with a better streaming experience with the YouTube TV app.
• Also, you can move the Wi-Fi router closer to the Roku device. This will allow your Roku device to receive a strong Wi-Fi signal.
• If you have a dual-band router you can connect to the 5Ghz band instead of the 2.4Ghz one.

Solution 2: Check if YouTube servers are down

In some cases, there are server outages occur on the YouTube TV streaming service. When this happens the server will go to offline mode and you will experience some trouble when you are trying to open the application on your Roku device. So it is better to wait until the maintenance process or the technical issue is solved by the YouTube technical team that caused the server outage.

For this, you can check for any service outage or technical problems related to YouTube TV streaming service using the DownDetector website. From this website, if there is any report related to server issues on YouTube TV services you can find out. If you found any issue reported it is better to wait until the technical team is solved that issue for you.

Solution 3: Restart the Roku device

There are sometimes when the YouTube TV application will not work on your device due to a software glitch on the Roku device. So if you want to fix this and watch the streaming service, you can simply do it by restarting the device.

Restart your Roku device from the system settings

• First, open the Roku TV Settings.
• Then locate System Restart and then select Restart.

Restart your Roku device from Roku remote

• On your Roku TV remote please press the Home Button 5 times. Then the Up arrow button 1 time. Then Rewind the button 1 time. Finally, Fast forward button 1 time.
• Now your Roku TV will reboot.

After these steps please check whether the issue still occurs or not.

Solution 4: Reinstall the YouTube app on the Roku device

This issue may be a result of an outdated version of the YouTube TV application you use. Normally the service providers try to fix problems that arise with their software according to the customer feedback with their latest versions. So it is better to update the application to its latest version to avoid this kind of problem from happening and make trouble for you while you are using the Roku device with YouTube TV.

Please follow the below steps to reinstall the YouTube TV streaming application on your device.

Uninstall the YouTube app on Roku TV

• First, please go to the Roku Home Screen then highlight the YouTube TV app.
• Then please press the *(asterisk button) on your Roku remote.
• Now select the Remove channel option to remove the YouTube TV app from the device.
• Then select Remove to confirm.
• Now reboot your Roku TV.
• Then please install the YouTube app on the Roku device.
• Now press the Home button on the Roku remote and go to Streaming channels.
• Then go to the Search Channel Option and search for YouTube TV.
• Now you can select “Add channel” to add the channel, YouTube TV channel will be added to your Roku
• Finally, you can access the YouTube TV app and check if it works.

Solution 5: Check the current Roku OS

Also, you need to make sure that the Roku software you are using on your Roku device to watch the YouTube TV streaming service is the latest version. Because if you are using the older one there might be some bugs that need fixing. If you update it to its latest version, then this might not be an issue for you. That is because the latest version might come with new performance enhancements, security, and privacy protection measures.

To update the Roku OS you need to follow the steps below.

Updating your Roku OS

• First, press the Home button on the Roku remote.
• Now go to Roku TV Settings.
• Then go to System and then select System Update.
• Now select Check Now to see if there’s any available update.
• Finally, select Update if any update is available for your Roku device.

After following the above steps please restart the Roku device and check whether the issue occurs again or not.

Solution 6: Factory reset your Roku device

After following all of the above steps if the issue still occurs then you need to reset the factory settings of your Roku device. Normally this will solve most of the unsolvable issues on the device because it helps you to correct the mistakes you do by changing the critical settings on the device. Normally it resets the settings on your device to their default state.

To do this you need to follow the steps given below.

Factory reset the Roku device

• First, hold your Roku remote and press the Home button.
• Then open Settings.
• Now locate System and then go to Advanced System Settings.
• Then select the Factory Reset option.

Now once your Roku is reset to factory settings, you can check whether the problem still occurs or not.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is YouTube TV not working on Roku playback error?

To fix this issue, there are a number of solutions that you can try by yourself. The first thing you can do is to update the software or the application and make sure that you have the latest version for the both device and the application. Then you can uninstall the application and re-install it on the device. If all of these fail to fix this, you can restart the Roku device and this will definitely fix the issue.

Why does YouTube keep saying playback error?

This error message comes because of two reasons. The first reason is internet connection-related problems. To fix this you need to make sure that your internet connection is up and running without any problem and also you need to make sure that your internet connection has a reasonable speed to support the streaming service. The second reason is the too many users. If you use the same account on more than three different devices you will get this error message on your screen. So make sure that you don’t exceed the user limit.

Why won’t YouTube TV play on my TV?

To fix this issue first you need to make sure that you are using a stable and fast internet connection that meets the minimum requirement of the streaming service. You can also check for the cables that are connected to your device and make sure they are properly connected and there are no loose joints with those. In some cases, the other applications in the background and the other devices that use the internet connection at the same time consume more from the bandwidth of your internet connection. So make sure they are closed while you are using the YouTube TV streaming services.

What is the best way to get YouTube TV?

The best and easy method to watch the YouTube streaming service is to download the latest version of Google Chrome or Firefox and watch the YouTube streaming service using that. Also, you can watch the YouTube streaming service on a Smart TV or on an Android TV. In order to watch it on your Smart TV or Android TV, you need to download the application using the app store on the device.