Record the two actions
Open the same permitted page and note what happens before any interaction. Then choose the actual Play control and record the result. Keep silent moving video, audible playback and no start as distinct observations. Do not describe all three as a black-screen failure.
A hypothetical viewer may prefer quiet browsing but expect a familiar television site to start automatically. That is a preference to configure for the site, not a reason to assume the account has expired when manual playback already works.
Inspect the Mac-specific preference
Use Apple’s current Mac Website Settings or Websites guidance for the installed Safari version. Check whether the intended site has a saved choice that differs from the broader default. Confirm that you are inspecting the programme page rather than a separate sign-in domain. Do not transplant the same menu instructions onto iPhone or iPad, where the settings context differs.
Keep the initial preference recorded and make one supported change. Repeat the same arrival-and-click comparison without simultaneously clearing cookies, signing out or changing network equipment. Those extra changes would remove useful state without establishing the autoplay question.
Move beyond autoplay only when needed
If manual playback also fails, preserve its actual message and consult the provider’s supported browser requirements. An autoplay permission does not supply missing rights or repair every media format. If only automatic start differs, keep the support question focused on that behaviour.
Report macOS/Safari version, website, effective site preference and the two observed outcomes. This guide’s Apple full-page fetch was rate-limited; its setting scope rests on current official search evidence. It proposes a comparison for the reader to perform and does not claim the particular site was tested here.