Something is not working. Start here.

1. 1.Wi-Fi, and specifically where the device sits

   A streaming stick lives behind the television, which is usually the worst spot in the room for reception — a metal screen between it and the router. Try the same channel on a phone standing next to the router. If the phone is fine, it is the position, not the service. An Ethernet adapter settles it for good.

2. 2.Not enough bandwidth on the device doing the watching

   Around 15 Mbps for Full HD and about 25 Mbps for 4K. Measure it on that device, not on a laptop in another room, and measure it in the evening rather than at midday.

3. 3.Something else on the connection is using it

   A console downloading an update or a second household stream will take the bandwidth first. Pause them and watch the same channel again.

4. 4.The hardware is too old for the stream

   A first-generation Fire TV Stick will run a 4K stream and struggle with it. Dropping that channel to a lower quality in the player settings usually fixes it instantly.

When to write to us: If a wired device with 25 Mbps still buffers on several channels at once, that is worth reporting. Tell us the channel names and roughly what time it happened.

1. 1.Run the control test first, before changing a single setting

   Open VLC on a computer, choose Media then Open Network Stream, and paste the M3U link from your email. If it plays there, your subscription and your connection are both fine and the problem is the player on the other device. If it fails there too, the problem is upstream of any player and no setting will fix it. This one test saves the evening people otherwise spend changing options at random.

2. 2.Another device is already watching

   One subscription allows one stream at a time. The second device usually fails with a message blaming the stream rather than telling you the truth.

3. 3.The credentials were entered with a typo

   Username and password are case-sensitive. On a television, typing them with a d-pad invites mistakes — enter them on a phone first to confirm they work, then on the television.

When to write to us: If VLC on a computer also fails, write to us straight away and say so. That sentence alone tells us where to look and skips three exchanges.

1. 1.That source is down at the moment

   A single failing channel while the rest play normally is almost never your setup. Nothing on your device can fix a source that is not sending.

2. 2.There is a second copy of the same channel

   Large playlists often carry the same channel in HD and in FHD, from different sources. Try the other entry before concluding it is gone.

When to write to us: Tell us the exact channel name as it appears in your list. We cannot fix what we cannot find, and "the sports one" matches forty entries.

1. 1.On Fire TV, the unknown-sources setting is off

   Settings, then My Fire TV, then Developer options, then allow installs for the app you are downloading with. If Developer options is not listed, open Settings, My Fire TV, About, and click the device line seven times.

2. 2.On Android TV, the device is not certified for Google Play

   When the Play Store says an app is unavailable on your box, that usually means the box, not the app. Write to us and we will give you another route for that model.

3. 3.On iPhone, you installed a lookalike

   Several App Store listings copy the same name with different developers behind them. Read the developer line, not just the title.

When to write to us: Tell us the device model. The answer differs between a Fire TV Stick 4K and a Fire TV Cube, and between two Android boxes that look identical.

1. 1.It has not finished downloading

   The channel list loads first and the guide follows behind it. On a large playlist the first run takes about a minute. Leave the app open rather than restarting it, which starts the download again from the beginning.

2. 2.The device clock or time zone is wrong

   A guide that is right but shifted by a whole number of hours is a time-zone problem on the device, not a data problem. Check the television’s date and time settings.

3. 3.The player is set to a different guide source

   Some players let you point the EPG at a URL of your own. If someone has changed it, set it back to the one that came with your playlist.

When to write to us: If the guide is still empty an hour later on a wired device, send us a photo of the screen. It is faster than describing it.

1. 1.The term ended

   Plans run for their term and stop — nothing renews automatically, so there is no failed payment to notice. If you are not sure of your end date, ask and we will check.

2. 2.The credentials are being used somewhere else

   Sharing credentials outside your household ends the subscription. If you gave them to someone to "try", that is the likely answer.

3. 3.The app updated itself overnight

   Players sometimes reset a setting on update. Re-entering the playlist takes two minutes and rules it out.

When to write to us: Write to us from the address on your order and say when it last worked. That narrows it immediately.

1. 1.One subscription allows one stream at a time

   This is the intended behaviour, not a fault. You can install your credentials on as many of your own devices as you like; only one may play at any moment.

2. 2.The first device did not actually stop

   Closing the app is not always enough — some players keep the stream open in the background. Force-close it on the first device, wait half a minute, then start the second.

When to write to us: If two screens need to watch at the same time, ask us about an extra connection rather than working around it.