Forum Discussion

RokuMaryEF's avatar
RokuMaryEF
Community Moderator
11 months ago
Solved

[Waiting on Partner] ESPN getting "Connection Error" error message

Hey Roku Community, We've received reports about the ESPN channel showing a "Connection Error" message.  If you're encountering this problem, please reach out to ESPN Support directly for ...
Waiting on partner
  • RokuEmmanuel-D's avatar
    RokuEmmanuel-D
    11 months ago

    Hi Community Users!

    Thank you for your cooperation and for reporting this issue.

    For further assistance with this problem, we encourage you to reach out to ESPN customer support directly. Since many channels on Roku are developed and maintained by their providers, contacting them can offer more detailed help.

    If you need additional support or have any other questions, please let us know. We’re here to assist you with your specific needs.

    Regards,
    The Roku Community Team

RokuEmmanuel-D's avatar
RokuEmmanuel-D
Community Moderator
11 months ago

Welcome aboard to the Roku Community, Gitpikker!

Thanks for reporting this issue to us. Rest assured, we are dedicated to resolving this matter for you.

To expedite the process, please provide the information posted above so that your device can be included in the ongoing investigation of this issue. 

We are looking forward to your prompt response. 

Best regards,
Emman

EricC's avatar
EricC
Reel Rookie
11 months ago

Hey having the same issue the past 3 days, driving us nuts, My Mom is ill and Her and I just wanted to watch tennis from the US Open and now we're missing everything!!.... this is very frustrating. Tried everything, Called xfinity, called ESPN and just go in circles, unplugging modem and TV and plugging back in, logging out of things and back in, checking connection speed, etc. please help! Thankyou

  • iplay10us2's avatar
    iplay10us2
    Binge Watcher
    11 months ago

    Only suggestion I have right now is to watch on computer/phone. If you are able to cast from either of those to your TV, it should work.

    Not sure why ESPN3 works when watching live, but only fails for "On Demand."

    • EricC's avatar
      EricC
      Reel Rookie
      11 months ago
       
      yesterday
      Re: ESPN Playback - Connection Errors

      "Only suggestion I have right now is to watch on computer/phone. If you are able to cast from either of those to your TV, it should work.

      Not sure why ESPN3 works when watching live, but only fails for "On Demand."

      Excellent suggestion, that worked great! I mean it's absurd to have to do that but that is the workaround. Thankyou! Cheers

    • Jenniferwest's avatar
      Jenniferwest
      Newbie
      11 months ago

      It won’t let you cast the content from your phone to the tv. 😡

  • Asellus's avatar
    Asellus
    Streaming Star
    11 months ago

    Yes. I am trying to watch the US Open as well. It looks like they are not going to be able to fix this quickly, so my only option is to watch the matches they post to the US Open Tennis Championships channel on YouTube. They are posting a few matches that are on the main courts (which are the same ones on ESPN3). Only issue is they are behind a couple of days. But it was my only option to finish one of the matches I started watching on ESPN3.

    I guess short of buying a different streaming device (not Roku), I don't have any other options right now. I don't have a Smart TV, and I don't have a cable provider. I get ESPN3 through my internet provider, and as a result it only gives me ESPN3 through set top boxes. I cannot get it through my laptop.

    I like Roku a lot, but does anybody have a recommendation for another streaming device in case this is possibly unfixable? This issue happened during Wimbledon as well, and it didn't seem to get fixed until weeks later after it ended. I pretty much missed a lot of matches or could not finish a lot of matches I really wanted to watch. I honestly thought that this had gotten fixed and I would not have this problem again now.

    • iplay10us2's avatar
      iplay10us2
      Binge Watcher
      11 months ago

      Not sure why you can't log in with your ESPN credentials on a laptop, though.

      Best option is to get a free trial of Hulu Live, Youtube TV or similar, and then download that app on your Roku to watch.

      • Asellus's avatar
        Asellus
        Streaming Star
        11 months ago

        I certainly can log in on a laptop with my ESPN credentials, but it would not give me access to ESPN3 or any ESPN channels. I did pay for ESPN+, so my ESPN credentials would give me access to that. I do not authenticate with a tv provider sign in as I do not have a cable subscription of any kind; that would give me access to ESPN content on the website.

        My access to ESPN3 is authenticated over my internet connection. I get access through AT&T, my internet provider, and for whatever reason as part of their deal I am only given access to ESPN3 over OTT streaming devices. So phones, tablets, laptops do not work. I found this answer a long time ago on reddit. Honestly, I did not originally know I had ESPN3 when I got my Roku device a couple of years ago. I came across it by accident.

        However, yes, your solution of signing up for a cable tv/streaming tv provider would probably allow me to access ESPN3 on my laptop. I will consider that. Since another user who had YouTube TV could not access ESPN3 on the ESPN app on Roku, I am assuming that means the YouTube TV app does not have access to the same replays that ESPN3 has? So I am assuming using the Roku app for YouTube TV still wouldn't change that issue? Thanks!

        Also, since ESPN3 is a streaming only channel and was traditionally not part of a cable package, I wonder if that's part of the problem on the Roku app? It was originally only offered to people who had high-speed internet access with an internet provider that paid fees to ESPN. It probably still authenticates over the internet for everyone, even people with a cable package. Maybe some update ESPN did through their app this year messed it up. Does anyone who has a cable package have problems connecting to ESPN and ESPN2 replays on the ESPN app on Roku? Just curious.

  • RokuEmmanuel-D's avatar
    RokuEmmanuel-D
    Community Moderator
    11 months ago

    Hi, EricC,.

    Welcome, and thanks for posting here in the Roku Community!

    We truly understand that you're also experiencing this issue with ESPN. No worries; we're here to help you in resolving this problem. 

    Since this matter is already under investigation, we need additional details to include your device in the review our Roku team is conducting. 

    • Roku device model, serial number, device ID, and software OS/version. (These can all be found in Settings > System > About).
    • Channel Build Version (You can find this by selecting the channel on the Home screen and pressing the * button.)
    • Tracker ID when this issue occurs. (When you see this issue occur, press the Home button five times, followed by the Back button five times, and provide us with this ID.)
    • A photo or video clip referring to the issue.

    This will enable us to determine where the problem is coming from and provide you with the best resolution available.

    We look forward to hearing from you and looking closely into this issue.

    All the best,
    Emman

    • Gitpikker's avatar
      Gitpikker
      Reel Rookie
      11 months ago

      Tcl model: 55S535

      hardware ID: A119X

      Serial # X00300D4CXK8

      Software version: 13.1.4 build 1510-88

      Device ID:S05NY0C4CXK8

      Again, I had no problems with the ESPN app until two weeks ago. I have tried every solution to no avail. Short replays work which shows there's no internet problems. The network is showing 75mbps with excellent connectivity when I look at the network settings in the System pull down.

      • RokuEmmanuel-D's avatar
        RokuEmmanuel-D
        Community Moderator
        11 months ago

        Thanks for providing the necessary details, Gitpikker.

        We appreciate you keeping us posted and cooperating to resolve this matter as soon as possible. 

        Rest assured that we'll forward this to the appropriate Roku team, which is now conducting a thorough review and investigation into this issue. 

        We'll update you and the Roku users with the same problem as soon as a resolution has been provided. 

        All the best,
        Emman

    • kjb2356's avatar
      kjb2356
      Newbie
      11 months ago

      I am also having this problem with the connection error on replay.