diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 188bd05..08f9839 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -34,10 +34,16 @@ ENV PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE=1 \
 
 WORKDIR /app
 
-# ffmpeg is required by the download center (yt-dlp) to merge separate video+audio streams
-# and run postprocessing (audio extract, embed thumbnail/chapters/subs, SponsorBlock).
+# ffmpeg: merge separate video+audio streams + postprocessing. Deno: the JavaScript runtime
+# yt-dlp uses to solve YouTube's "n" signature challenge for the web player clients (required
+# alongside the PO token, else only storyboards are offered). yt-dlp auto-detects deno on PATH.
+ARG DENO_VERSION=v2.9.1
 RUN apt-get update \
-    && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends ffmpeg \
+    && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends ffmpeg unzip curl ca-certificates \
+    && curl -fsSL "https://github.com/denoland/deno/releases/download/${DENO_VERSION}/deno-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.zip" -o /tmp/deno.zip \
+    && unzip -o /tmp/deno.zip -d /usr/local/bin \
+    && chmod +x /usr/local/bin/deno \
+    && rm /tmp/deno.zip \
     && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
 
 COPY backend/requirements.txt .
diff --git a/backend/app/config.py b/backend/app/config.py
index 2e99e35..6a39add 100644
--- a/backend/app/config.py
+++ b/backend/app/config.py
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ class Settings(BaseSettings):
     # yt-dlp player clients to use (comma-separated). POT-capable clients (web_safari/web) must
     # be used for the PO token to actually apply; the default clients (android_vr) don't request
     # one. Empty = yt-dlp's own default. Admin-tunable when YouTube shifts what works.
-    download_player_clients: str = "web_safari,web,tv"
+    download_player_clients: str = "web_safari,web,android"
 
     @property
     def player_client_list(self) -> list[str]:
diff --git a/backend/requirements.txt b/backend/requirements.txt
index 2e9563c..2a8cf38 100644
--- a/backend/requirements.txt
+++ b/backend/requirements.txt
@@ -13,10 +13,11 @@ py3langid>=0.3,<1.0
 itsdangerous>=2.1,<3.0
 cryptography>=46.0.7,<47
 argon2-cffi>=23.1,<26
-# Download center: yt-dlp does the extraction/download; ffmpeg (installed at the OS level in
-# the Dockerfile) does the merge + postprocessing. yt-dlp is release-often (YouTube changes),
-# so keep the floor loose and bump it when extraction breaks.
-yt-dlp>=2025.5.22
+# Download center: yt-dlp does the extraction/download; ffmpeg (OS-level in the Dockerfile)
+# does the merge + postprocessing. The [default] extra pulls yt-dlp-ejs (the challenge-solver
+# scripts Deno runs for YouTube's n-signature). yt-dlp is release-often (YouTube changes), so
+# keep the floor loose and bump it when extraction breaks.
+yt-dlp[default]>=2025.5.22
 # PO Token provider plugin: talks to the bgutil sidecar (brainicism/bgutil-ytdlp-pot-provider)
 # to mint YouTube Proof-of-Origin tokens on demand, bypassing "confirm you're not a bot" and
 # unlocking high-quality formats. Pin to match the sidecar image tag (versions must align).