Let's start by saying this exact same thing happened twice before in the last two years. Many people (when many people came to this site) complained they were having problems with buffering and freezing. People like you said it is not happening to me therefore it is not happening. Some of the moderators were saying the same thing. The service then fessed up and said there were problems. The service went into maintenance mode, but it took way longer than they expected, and they added an extra week to most people's service. Things got back to normal and the moderators apologized for doubting people and said it won't happen again.
Guess what!? It happened again. Once again, people like you said it is not happening to me therefore it isn't happening. Once again, some of the moderators said the same thing. The service again fessed up and said they were going into maintenance mode. Once again, the service went into maintenance mode, but it took way longer than they expected, and they said they would add an extra week to most people's service, but they eventually said it would be too hard to do that. (Many people flipped out, but I didn't care, as long as things were fixed.) Things did get back to normal and the moderators apologized for doubting people and said it won't happen again. Guess what!? It is happening again!
One portal can go down, but others don't, even on the same service. Strange but true. People used to say it is impossible. Now we know it is not. Some people wake up and a service that had been working fine gets the message "STB Blocked" while others with the same set up don't have the problem. Strange but true. Because some things happen to some people and not to others doesn't mean it is not happening or that it is a rogue node on the internet.
This is happening to many people at the same time with different internet providers. Coincidence? No! This is going in the exact same direction as before.
There isn't a blip in my streaming for any other service, as is the case for others reporting. My download speed doesn't vary. We all started encountering the buffering/freezing at the same time. Coincidence? No!
Do you think if there was this "plug" in the internet that no one would notice? It would affect all kinds of streaming, not just this one, and it would be corrected. The internet isn't held together by duct tape. It is constantly tested. If there are bottlenecks, they are fixed, usually in a matter of hours. This rogue node notion is a diversion. It is not the explanation. If the internet were as rickety as you suggest, we would all be having issues all of the time. Of course I have tried the simple things like rebooting the modem/router and doing IPTV Resets. It has no effect. In fact, my account buffers and freezes at a friend's house that uses a different internet provider.
Because you are not having the issue, count yourself lucky. I can guarantee you that the complaints will mount. Eventually, the service will address the issue, just like before. The question is how long it will take.