This error can occur when your IP address is giving the PBS app a location outside of your station's area, even if you live near the PBS station you're trying to livestream.
The PBS app needs to confirm you live in a station's area before you can watch their livestream, and the app does this by looking at what location your IP address provides. Not every IP address is the same, and some IP addresses can actually be located far away from where you live - sometimes several hundred miles away from your home.
Geolocation - how your IP address gives a location - is usually an approximation, and isn't always accurate. If your IP address is telling the PBS app that you live outside of your station's area, then you'll be unable to view that station's livestream via that IP address.
This often only happens on television streaming devices without GPS chips - like Roku. More advanced devices, like your smart phone and computer, have their own GPS that the PBS site and app can fall back on to confirm your location. On devices like Roku and Amazon Fire, our app can only rely on the location your IP address is providing.
If you encounter this error and live within your station's area, we recommend trying one of the below options:
- View the livestream on a smart phone, tablet, or the PBS.org website on your computer
- Submit a correction request to MaxMind, our third-party for location services. You can request MaxMind update their database by using this form and providing your current location and IP address. Find my IP Address.
- Try changing your station on the PBS app via the Profile menu option on the left-hand side of the app.
We are looking into a more permanent solution for our viewers affected by this issue, but at this time, this issue is outside of our control.