[Solved] YouTube TV Playback Error This Video Requires Payment To Watch

Are you trying to stream a movie or show on YouTube TV and suddenly get the error message ‘This video requires payment to watch?’ Well, don’t freak out, as this is something that happens now and then when streaming YouTube TV.

Whenever this error message pops up, the issue is most likely because of a corrupt firmware of the router or the YouTube TV app. From a simple glitch on the YouTube app to a corrupt installation process, many issues could cause you to get the error message ‘this video requires payment to watch.’

Most people encounter this error message when trying to stream a movie or show on YouTube TV that they already paid for. Let us also quickly add that most people who experience this error message are streaming the YouTube TV app on their TVs or streaming devices.

Today’s post will show you how to resolve this error so you can resume streaming your favorite movies and TV shows.

Factors causing you to see the error message:

This video requires payment to watch.

There are a couple of factors that could be causing you to get the error message ‘this video requires payment to watch’. Read on as we list them out.

An outdated OS

If your TV OS has not been updated in a while, it could cause the YouTube TV app to show this playback error. So if you ever get the playback error ‘this video requires payment to watch,’ you first want to check to see if your TV OS is updated.

Corrupt installation process

If when trying to install the YouTube TV app on your device and the process didn’t go as designed because of corrupt installation, you will get the playback error.

So if you tried installing the YouTube TV app recently and it wasn’t successful, this could be the reason why you’re getting this playback error.

Issues with ISP

You may sometimes get this YouTube TV playback error message when your ISP is interfering with communication between your device and the server.

Any interference from your ISP that blocks communication between the YouTube TV app and servers can trigger this error message.

A corrupted router, firmware, or streaming device

If the firmware of your TV, streaming device, or router is corrupted, then it shouldn’t come as a surprise when you get this error message when trying to stream your favorite movie or TV show on YouTube TV.

Fixing the playback error message ‘this video requires payment to watch?’

Having gone over why you could be getting this playback error message when streaming shows and movies on the YouTube TV app, we want to show you some possible fixes that will help resolve the issue. Stay tuned as we go over these fixes.

Do a cold restart of your devices and router

Any temporary glitch across your devices, including router, TV, and streaming devices can cause you to get the playback error ‘this video requires payment to watch.’ If you ever get this error message when streaming your favorite shows or movies, here is how you can quickly resolve it.

1. Start by turning off all your streaming devices, including the TV.
2. After switching off your TV, you want to also remove the streaming device attached to your TV
3. Now, switch off your networking equipment, including the router or any Wi-Fi extenders you are using. You want to also ensure that you have unplugged all related devices, including the TV from the power source.
4. Leave everything as it is for at least five minutes and reconnect the power cables to all related devices.
5. After that, you want to power on your router or networking equipment and wait for everything to be connected properly.
6. Switch on your TV and wait for it to be fully ready to use.
7. Once done, connect your streaming device to the TV and power it on.
8. Launch the YouTube TV app and see if the playback error has been cleared.

If you followed these steps as we outlined above, you should notice the error message disappear. However, after trying these steps and the error message persists, you can try the next fix we will be showing you shortly.

Relaunch your YouTube TV app after force closing it

The reason you get the playback error message ‘this video requires payment to watch,’ could be because of a temporary glitch with your YouTube TV modules. And should that be the case, you can simply force close the YouTube TV app. For those who have no idea how to force close the YouTube TV app, here is how to go about it.

1. Launch the YouTube TV app installed on your device and click on Retry or press the OK button. Do this when the error pops up. Try doing this process at least 4 to 5 times.
2. If that doesn’t resolve the playback issues, you can then perform a force closing. Do this by holding down the Home button on your streaming device. This action forces the running app to close. Once you have done that, launch the YouTube TV app and see if the error message has cleared.

Frequently asked questions

Does re-logging into YouTube TV fix the error message ‘this video requires payment to watch?’

Many YouTube TV streamers have reported fixing the playback error message ‘this video requires payment to watch,’ by simply logging out of their account and login back in.

If you ever encounter this error and have tried other fixes without any success, you can try login out and logging in to see if this fixes the issue.

Does an issue with ISP cause the playback error message ‘this video requires payment to watch?’

If your ISP is interfering with communication between your device and server, then you could get the error message ‘this video requires payment to watch’ when streaming YouTube TV. And should that be the case, you can reach out to your ISP for assistance.

Will a hard reset of my device fix the error message ‘this video requires payment to watch?’

If you have tried every possible fix to resolve the playback error, ‘this video requires payment to watch,’ with no success, you can try to hard reset your devices, including TV, streaming devices, and routers.