Frequently-Asked Questions

This page lists the most common problems rivusTV users encounter, together with the recommended solution. If your problem doesn't seem to be covered here, please contact our support staff.


My video doesn't play – a box with the words "Connecting..." appears but nothing happens for a long time.

If you're watching a view-on-demand video, there's probably a problem with your internet connection. If you connect to the internet via a cable connection, check that the cable hasn't become unplugged; if you use a wireless connection, check your wireless reception. If neither of these is a problem, make sure your router has a connection to your ISP.

If you're watching a live video, there may instead be a problem with the broadcaster's connection to the internet. First, check that you're connected to the internet yourself in the same way as you would for view-on-demand video, as described above. If your connection is ok, we recommend you contact the video broadcaster to confirm that they're not having technical difficulties. Keep an eye on the video player as well – broadcasters will often send you updates about technical problems they might be having through the video player itself.

My video keeps stopping and starting.

This usually occurs when your internet connection isn't fast enough to play back the video successfully. If you're using a wireless internet connection, check that your reception is ok, and if not, try moving to a location with better reception. If you're using any internet-intensive programs like Skype or file sharing services, we also recommend you close these while watching rivusTV video. Note that in technical terms, you'll need an internet connection capable of around 1Mbps download speed to watch most videos on the rivusTV network.

My live video seems to have frozen.

This can happen occasionally with longer live videos. If you reload the web page containing the video, video playback should resume as normal.

I bought a view-on-demand video and it has a countdown next to it. What does this mean?

When you buy a ticket to watch a view-on-demand video, you're entitled to watch it as many times as you like for 6 hours from the first time you start watching it. The countdown shows how long you left before you won't be able to start watching the video anymore. Note that once you've started watching a video, you can watch it through to the end even if the countdown reaches zero while the video is still playing.

How do I change my name in the online chat that appears in the video player?

In the online chat, all your messages will be listed against your first name, or from 'anonymous' if you're not logged in. To change your first name, click Account Settings and then Profile in the left-hand menu on this page. Click the Edit button and then type your preferred name in the Given Name field, then click the Save button. Your new name will be used starting from the next time you start watching a rivusTV video; if you're already watching a video, reload the web page that the video is on to start using your new name immediately.

I have a discount code for a video I want to buy. How do I use it?

Make sure that the video you want to use the discount for is in your shopping cart. Type (or copy and paste) the discount code you want to use into the box marked Enter coupon code and click the Apply coupon button – the shopping cart will be updated to show the discount you receive. You can then continue to the checkout as normal.

I'm trying to watch a video on my iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch, but I can't see anything.

We're currently only able to broadcast view-on-demand video content to these devices. We're working on resolving this problems, and hope to extend our iOS device support soon; in the meantime, you can watch all your purchased videos (both live and view-on-demand) as normal on your desktop computer or Android device.

I bought a ticket to watch a video but I can't remember how to get back to the website that the video was on. How can I watch it?

Click on Your tickets and then click on the appropriate link, depending on whether you're trying to watch a live or view-on-demand video. Find the video you want to watch and click the Go to video button, which should take you to the webpage the video is on. If this doesn't work, go back and click the backup playerlink underneath the Go to video button.

Note that for live videos, the Go to Video button doesn't appear until about 30 minutes before the video is due to start. If you don't see a button, check the broadcast start time and try again closer to the scheduled broadcast start time.

I want to watch a video but I see a message telling me I have to install Flash Player.

To watch rivusTV videos, you need to install the Adobe Flash Player, which is a small, very-commonly-used helper program that's used to help your web browser play videos. Installing Adobe Flash Player is quick and simple; to do so, click here.

I suspect the country I am living in has blocked access to any content served by your network.

It is a sad fact that some countries impose heavy censorship rules on internet access and unfortunately there is little anyone can do to stop this. Fortunately the number of countries that feel the need to do this is small and under normal circumstances you should have no problem viewing content served over rivusTV's network.

How can I tell if PayPal supports my country and it's currency?

According to PayPal over 190 countries and regions are supported so for the vast majority of users there should not be a problem. click here for more information.

I use PayPal's security key feature and it's not letting me login.

In order to expedite the payment process and to make the experience as smooth as possible, rivusTV uses PayPal's express checkout for digital goods payment process. Unfortunately it seems that there is an incompatibility between PayPal's own extra security features and their express checkout functions. This is a bug in the PayPal system which will no doubt be rectified in the near future, however in the meantime it is recommended that you disable the security key in your account before attempting the purchase.