Older Sony TVs to lose iPlayer support in February

The BBC has confirmed that some older Sony TVs are next to lose the iPlayer.

From Monday 17th February 2020, some 2012 and 2013 model Sony TVs will cease to support the BBC's online service.

They will need to be hooked up to a streaming stick, dongle or box, such as Amazon Fire Stick, Apple TV or Roku, to continue to access the iPlayer.

Viewers will know if their TV is affected, because a message warning of the end-of-support will pop-up on screen.

The move highlights one of the perils of buying a smart TV, namely that just like some computers and mobiles, one day, apps will stop being supported, be it Netflix, the iPlayer or another service, sometimes due to changes in digital rights management that older devices can no longer support, with no updates available to keep up with the changes.

Some older Samsung devices lost access to the iPlayer in December.

Affected models

2012 models
EX44 series
EX55 series
EX65 series
HX75 series
HX85 series
HX95 series

2013 models
W6**A series
W7**A series
W905A series
W805A series
W855A series
X8**A series