PBS Outage History

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PBS had 14 outages in the last 2 years totaling 1665h 43m of downtime — averaging 0.6 incidents per month.

There were 14 PBS outages since October 20, 2025 totaling 1665h 43m of downtime. Each is summarised below — incident details, duration, and resolution information.

Source: https://status.pbs.org

Notice September 4, 2026

Outage - Errors on the PBS App and when playing videos on pbs.org

Detected by Pingoru
Sep 04, 2026, 06:53 AM UTC
Resolved
Oct 05, 2026, 05:47 PM UTC
Duration
31d 10h
Affected: PBS WebsitePBS Video PortalPBS Partner PlayerPBS Mobile and OTT Apps
Timeline · 3 updates
  1. investigating Sep 04, 2026, 06:53 AM UTC

    Our engineering team is currently investigating reports of errors loading the PBS App on all platforms and playing videos on pbs.org.

  2. monitoring Sep 04, 2026, 08:12 AM UTC

    A fix has been implemented. Normal functioning has been restored to the PBS App, pbs.org, and station video portals. We will continue to monitor in case any further mitigation is needed.

  3. resolved Oct 05, 2026, 05:47 PM UTC

    This incident has been resolved.

Read the full incident report →

Notice July 31, 2026

Lagging and Time-outs Affecting Multiple Platforms

Detected by Pingoru
Jul 31, 2026, 03:53 PM UTC
Resolved
Aug 03, 2026, 11:56 PM UTC
Duration
3d 8h
Affected: PBS WebsitePBS Video PortalPBS Partner PlayerPBS Mobile and OTT AppsMVault Console
Timeline · 5 updates
  1. investigating Jul 31, 2026, 03:53 PM UTC

    We are currently investigating some lagging and time-outs in the MVault console. Some other platforms that are related may also some some difficulties.

  2. investigating Jul 31, 2026, 09:24 PM UTC

    The engineering team is continuing to work on this issue. We are aware that may members may not be able to sign in on their apps or pbs.org at the moment and we are working to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

  3. monitoring Jul 31, 2026, 09:47 PM UTC

    A fix has been applied in the backend and services should be gradually restored to normal function over the next couple of hours. However, we will continue to monitor throughout the weekend.

  4. monitoring Aug 02, 2026, 11:53 PM UTC

    We are continuing to monitor for any further issues.

  5. resolved Aug 03, 2026, 11:56 PM UTC

    This incident has been fully resolved. Our engineering team's investigation and resolution will help to prevent further incidents and will improve our network/platform stability and performance moving forward. If any viewers still report any issues, we would suggest having the viewer reboot or power cycle their device, i.e. unplug the device for a minute and then plug it back in and retry. If the viewer receives an error or continues to have trouble, please have the viewer submit a support ticket at https://help.pbs.org/support/tickets/new listing their device and a brief description of the issue they are still experiencing, and we our PBS Support Team will be pleased to assist.

Read the full incident report →

Major June 22, 2026

Select Samsung TV Models Unable to Load PBS App

Detected by Pingoru
Jun 22, 2026, 02:22 PM UTC
Resolved
Jun 29, 2026, 05:01 PM UTC
Duration
7d 2h
Affected: PBS Mobile and OTT Apps
Timeline · 6 updates
  1. investigating Jun 22, 2026, 02:22 PM UTC

    We're currently investigating an issue which is preventing users on some Samsung TV models from opening and loading the PBS app. Users may report seeing a solid blue screen, a dark screen, or a loading icon that never completes when they open the app. We believe the majority of users are on 2017 Samsung TV models, most often notated with an 'M' or 'MU' in the model number. Other devices that support the PBS app and Samsung TVs released after 2017 appear to be unaffected by this issue. We'll continue to update this page as our investigation continues.

  2. monitoring Jun 23, 2026, 06:42 PM UTC

    A hotfix has been released to address this issue. Viewers' devices will automatically receive the hotfix and update to the latest version of the PBS app with the fixed experience. For some viewers this will be immediate, but for anyone still encountering the issue, we recommend they check on their app later today to allow more time for Samsung to deliver the app update to their device. We'll continue to monitor for further reports throughout today and tomorrow to assess the hotfix's performance.

  3. monitoring Jun 24, 2026, 02:35 PM UTC

    We have continued to receive messages from users that they are still experiencing issues loading the PBS app on Samsung TVs released in 2017. We are looking into the issue again and will continue to monitor reports.

  4. monitoring Jun 24, 2026, 08:14 PM UTC

    We are continuing to work on another hotfix to address the issue affecting viewers on Samsung 2017 models, and we are targeting tomorrow for the second hotfix's release. At this time, we are not aware of any workarounds for the affected devices, and this fix continues to be a high priority for our teams.

  5. monitoring Jun 25, 2026, 02:50 PM UTC

    The second hotfix has been released. Viewers' devices will automatically receive the hotfix and update to the latest version of the PBS app with the fixed experience. For some viewers this will be immediate, but for anyone still encountering the issue, we recommend they check on their app later today to allow more time for Samsung to deliver the app update to their device. We'll continue to monitor for further reports throughout today and tomorrow to assess the second hotfix's performance.

  6. resolved Jun 29, 2026, 05:01 PM UTC

    This incident has been resolved following a rollback of the PBS app on Samsung TVs last Friday, June 26.

Read the full incident report →

Minor June 16, 2026

Intermittent Livestream Playback Issues on Web

Detected by Pingoru
Jun 16, 2026, 03:26 PM UTC
Resolved
Jun 17, 2026, 03:36 PM UTC
Duration
1d
Affected: Local Live Streams
Timeline · 3 updates
  1. identified Jun 16, 2026, 03:26 PM UTC

    We're investigating an issue where the livestream player is experiencing intermittent playback issues on web browsers on both mobile and desktop platforms. Users may report seeing the play button behaving strangely on the player, the player starting and stopping, or other issues related to playback. Because the issues are intermittent, not all viewers will encounter an issue, and refreshing the page may or may not help with playback.

  2. monitoring Jun 16, 2026, 08:14 PM UTC

    A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results.

  3. resolved Jun 17, 2026, 03:36 PM UTC

    This incident has been resolved.

Read the full incident report →

Major June 4, 2026

Accessing the PBS App on Amazon Fire Tablets

Detected by Pingoru
Jun 04, 2026, 10:09 PM UTC
Resolved
Jun 08, 2026, 03:32 PM UTC
Duration
3d 17h
Affected: PBS Mobile and OTT Apps
Timeline · 2 updates
  1. identified Jun 04, 2026, 10:09 PM UTC

    Users nationwide may be prevented from opening and using the PBS app on Amazon Fire Tablet devices temporarily. This is related to a new age verification requirement that went into effect in Texas today. There is currently an issue accessing the Amazon’s backend system that verifies the Amazon account user age settings. We are working with Amazon to resolve this as quickly as possible. Until the issue is resolved, users on Amazon Fire Tablets will see a message that they need to update the device’s operating system in order to use the PBS app. Updating the app will not resolve this issue. The issue will be resolved automatically once the Amazon age system becomes accessible by the app.

  2. resolved Jun 08, 2026, 03:32 PM UTC

    All users on Amazon Fire Tablets have had their access to the PBS app restored.

Read the full incident report →

Minor April 27, 2026

PBS KIDS service outage on select platforms.

Detected by Pingoru
Apr 27, 2026, 03:05 PM UTC
Resolved
Apr 27, 2026, 06:15 PM UTC
Duration
3h 9m
Affected: PBS KIDS WebsitePBS KIDS OTT App
Timeline · 3 updates
  1. identified Apr 27, 2026, 03:05 PM UTC

    We've identified an issue preventing the PBS KIDS app from loading on select platforms, with Roku and iOS (iPhones/iPads) being the most reported devices. We're currently working on resolving the issue. We're also seeing degraded performance on the pbskids.org/video site. Please follow this page for further updates.

  2. monitoring Apr 27, 2026, 03:38 PM UTC

    A fix has been implemented and we’re monitoring the results.

  3. resolved Apr 27, 2026, 06:15 PM UTC

    This incident has been resolved.

Read the full incident report →

Minor March 9, 2026

Issue with Copying/Pasting in the Bento Console

Detected by Pingoru
Mar 09, 2026, 05:16 PM UTC
Resolved
Mar 12, 2026, 12:28 PM UTC
Duration
2d 19h
Affected: HostedBento
Timeline · 3 updates
  1. investigating Mar 09, 2026, 05:16 PM UTC

    We are currently investigating an issue preventing users from pasting content within the Bento console. Any text that needs to be added to websites today will need to be manually entered within the components. We'll update this page as we learn more and work toward a fix.

  2. identified Mar 11, 2026, 01:21 PM UTC

    A hotfix is planned to release tomorrow morning to address this issue. We will continue to post additional updates as needed.

  3. resolved Mar 12, 2026, 12:28 PM UTC

    A hotfix has been released and pasting to components in Bento is functional again.

Read the full incident report →

Minor February 11, 2026

Bento Save Issues

Detected by Pingoru
Feb 11, 2026, 03:18 PM UTC
Resolved
Feb 11, 2026, 04:42 PM UTC
Duration
1h 24m
Affected: HostedBento
Timeline · 3 updates
  1. investigating Feb 11, 2026, 03:18 PM UTC

    We're currently investigating an issue where attempting to Save changes in the Bento console is returning an error message to try again later.

  2. monitoring Feb 11, 2026, 03:45 PM UTC

    A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results. If you continue to experience issues with making saved changes in the Bento console, please submit a support ticket at digitalsupport.pbs.org

  3. resolved Feb 11, 2026, 04:42 PM UTC

    This incident has been resolved.

Read the full incident report →

Minor February 10, 2026

Intermittent Issues Loading Content on PBS Platforms

Detected by Pingoru
Feb 10, 2026, 09:29 PM UTC
Resolved
Feb 11, 2026, 01:26 PM UTC
Duration
15h 57m
Affected: PBS WebsitePBS Mobile and OTT Apps
Timeline · 2 updates
  1. identified Feb 10, 2026, 09:29 PM UTC

    PBS services are currently affected intermittently by an ongoing AWS issue. Viewers may report issues with loading pages, video playback, or other interruptions in service on on the PBS site or app. We are working with AWS to resolve the issue. Further tracking is available via AWS's Status Page: https://health.aws.amazon.com/health/status

  2. resolved Feb 11, 2026, 01:26 PM UTC

    AWS resolved this issue late last night. All PBS services should now be normal.

Read the full incident report →

Minor January 30, 2026

Playback Issues on the PBS App for Smart TVs

Detected by Pingoru
Jan 30, 2026, 01:53 PM UTC
Resolved
Feb 10, 2026, 01:52 PM UTC
Duration
10d 23h
Affected: PBS Mobile and OTT Apps
Timeline · 3 updates
  1. identified Jan 30, 2026, 01:53 PM UTC

    We've identified an issue with video playback on the PBS app for Samsung TV, VIZIO SmartCast TV, and Comcast boxes. Users may report that videos do not complete toward the end of their runtime, and the video instead returns them to an earlier point in the video or the beginning of the video. This issue is related to a recent update made to the app on these devices on Monday, Jan. 26, and we are working to release a fix.

  2. monitoring Jan 30, 2026, 08:55 PM UTC

    A hotfix has been released to address issues with playback on the PBS app for Samsung TV, VIZIO SmartCast TV, and Comcast boxes. Viewers can check to see if they're on the latest app version with the hotfix via the Settings menu inside the PBS app: the newest version with the fix is version g882. We'll continue to monitor performance following the hotfix's release in case any further issues are reported.

  3. resolved Feb 10, 2026, 01:52 PM UTC

    This incident has been resolved.

Read the full incident report →

Notice December 15, 2025

Delays in Uploaded Content to PBS Platforms

Detected by Pingoru
Dec 15, 2025, 05:55 PM UTC
Resolved
Dec 18, 2025, 03:31 PM UTC
Duration
2d 21h
Affected: PBS WebsitePBS Video PortalPBS Partner PlayerPBS Mobile and OTT Apps
Timeline · 4 updates
  1. investigating Dec 15, 2025, 05:55 PM UTC

    We are currently investigating delays with new videos published to PBS platforms. Videos that are ingested and published in Media Manager may take longer than one hour before appearing on the PBS site, app, and partner player. If you have published a video and have an urgent need for it to appear, please send a link for your video to digitalsupport.pbs.org

  2. monitoring Dec 16, 2025, 03:11 PM UTC

    We have taken steps to address the issue and are currently monitoring the situation in case of any further incidents.

  3. monitoring Dec 18, 2025, 03:31 PM UTC

    We are continuing to monitor for any further issues.

  4. resolved Dec 18, 2025, 03:31 PM UTC

    This incident has been resolved.

Read the full incident report →

Minor November 6, 2025

PBS Passport Recognition Error

Detected by Pingoru
Nov 06, 2025, 04:17 PM UTC
Resolved
Nov 10, 2025, 02:06 PM UTC
Duration
3d 21h
Affected: PBS WebsitePBS Video PortalPBS Partner Player
Timeline · 3 updates
  1. investigating Nov 06, 2025, 04:17 PM UTC

    We are investigating reports from Passport members stating their Passport benefits are not being recognized on the PBS.org website although they are signed in with an account with an active Passport benefit. The members report seeing the prompt to become a member instead of the video player while signed in with their correct account. This incident does not affect all Passport members and appears inconsistently even with the same member account. Members can try signing out and signing back in on the site multiple times as a possible workaround while we look into this issue.

  2. investigating Nov 06, 2025, 09:14 PM UTC

    We are still investigating the issue and believe it is related to users on specific Apple devices (Mac, iPhone, and iPad) using a web browser. It also appears that members who encounter this issue can try refreshing the video page until they are able to see and use the video player. Members on the iPhone and iPad who are using their mobile browsers can download and use the PBS app.

  3. resolved Nov 10, 2025, 02:06 PM UTC

    We made an additional site update on Friday, November 7th, and checked in with affected users to confirm they were no longer seeing the issue. This incident has now been resolved.

Read the full incident report →

Minor November 4, 2025

PBS.org Sign In Issues

Detected by Pingoru
Nov 04, 2025, 01:05 PM UTC
Resolved
Nov 05, 2025, 12:40 PM UTC
Duration
23h 35m
Affected: PBS Website
Timeline · 3 updates
  1. investigating Nov 04, 2025, 01:05 PM UTC

    We are currently investigating reports from users who are unable to sign in on PBS.org. Users have reported seeing a 404 page during the login process, or report that they go through the login process but are not signed in when they are returned to PBS.org. We will update with details as we learn more, but at this time we do not believe that all users are affected.

  2. monitoring Nov 04, 2025, 05:28 PM UTC

    We have made an update to the site to address the issues with sign in. We'll continue to monitor and make any additional updates as needed.

  3. resolved Nov 05, 2025, 12:40 PM UTC

    This incident has been resolved.

Read the full incident report →

Notice October 20, 2025

AWS Trouble

Detected by Pingoru
Oct 20, 2025, 03:30 PM UTC
Resolved
Oct 20, 2025, 11:22 PM UTC
Duration
7h 51m
Affected: PBS WebsitePBS KIDS WebsitePBS Video PortalPBS KIDS ActivatePBS KIDS OTT AppPBS Partner PlayerPBS Mobile and OTT AppsPBS Global ChromeMVault ConsoleStation Manager ConsoleCurate ConsoleMedia Manager ConsolePBS AccountPBS Help Site
Timeline · 4 updates
  1. identified Oct 20, 2025, 03:30 PM UTC

    About 3 AM Eastern, Amazon AWS (which powers many databases including most PBS platforms) began experiencing connectivity issues and latency. This may have resulted in trouble signing in, errors when signing in, etc. It looks like this has improved somewhat in the last couple of hours, but there may still be some latency issues as Amazon continues to investigate the root cause and mitigate. We will continue to monitor. https://health.aws.amazon.com/health/status

  2. monitoring Oct 20, 2025, 04:36 PM UTC

    All platforms continue to be affected. Our Talkdesk platform to take calls is now also down. We will continue to monitor as Amazon works toward a solution.

  3. monitoring Oct 20, 2025, 04:51 PM UTC

    We are continuing to monitor for any further issues.

  4. resolved Oct 20, 2025, 11:22 PM UTC

    The AWS outage has been resolved. Amazon posted information at https://health.aws.amazon.com/health/status.

Read the full incident report →