Uncaught ReferenceError: ytcfg is not defined (also __ytRIL is not defined)

Question

I have been using the YouTube IFrame Player API without problem for months and started to see this exception recently when the player loads: Uncaught ReferenceError: ytcfg is not defined Inspecting the iframe, I see a successful call to yt.setConfig, but ytcfg.set fails later. Was the API changed recently? Any player parameter could cause this problem?

<script src="//s.ytimg.com/yts/jsbin/www-embed-player-vflnzmqns/www-embed-player.js" type="text/javascript" name="www-embed-player/www-embed-player"></script>
<script src="//s.ytimg.com/yts/jsbin/player-en_US-vflr--npw/base.js" name="player/base"></script>
<script>
    yt.setConfig({
        ...
    });
    writeEmbed();
</script>
<script>
    ytcsi.info('st', 35);
    ytcfg.set({
        "TIMING_ACTION": "",
        "CSI_VIEWPORT": true,
        "TIMING_INFO": {
            "c": "WEB",
            "yt_li": 1,
            "cver": "1.20161112",
            "yt_lt": "cold"
        },
        "CSI_SERVICE_NAME": "youtube"
    });
    ;</script>

There several variations of this issue:

https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/35178202 "ytcfg is not defined" https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/35177930 "__ytRIL is not defined"

Solution 1

This is a Google bug. It also happens on Youtube's developer page. https://developers.google.com/youtube/youtube_subscribe_button

The following bugs tracks this issue.

https://code.google.com/p/gdata-issues/issues/detail?id=8569 (Still active -as of Jan 5h 2017)

Please up vote on this bug using the links below so that it gets their attention. They have been sitting on it since Sep 9, 2016!!.

Solution 2

It looks like the bug is on youtube's side. You can see the same JS error here: https://www.youtube.com/embed/U-xetxYwyak

Solution 3

This started happening even on youtube.com when you click the "Share" button under any video and then the "Embed" tab to copy paste the embedding html code. Definitely their fault.

Solution 4

I had the same issue. Temporary fix was using objects instead of iframes. It worked for me.

View more solutions

Comments

[Andrew Patton]

That’s very helpful. Everyone affected please star the issue! For clarification, the google bug corresponding to the OP’s issue is the 2nd one (id 8745), not the first, as noted in this comment in the other bug’s comment thread: code.google.com/p/gdata-issues/issues/detail?id=8668#c62

[David Dehghan]

294 people have already starred (id 8745) but unfortunately still there no fix for this bug. Please keep staring this bug.

[Thomas Vanier]

Looks like the google bug id 8745 was fixed some hours ago

[David Dehghan]

Now that code.google.com/p/gdata-issues/issues/detail?id=8745 was fixed we are back in seeing this bug again. code.google.com/p/gdata-issues/issues/detail?id=8668 Unbelievable !!

[Mahendra Gunawardena]

Your top hyperlink is broken

[T.Todua]

that exact link doesnt have error at this moment. However, __ytRIL is not defined error still un-fixed