diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/js/src/video/01_initialize.js b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/js/src/video/01_initialize.js
index 1ff8b591b7f..c43ab4b1693 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/js/src/video/01_initialize.js
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/js/src/video/01_initialize.js
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ function(VideoPlayer, i18n, moment, _) {
 
         _youtubeApiDeferred = null,
         _oldOnYouTubeIframeAPIReady;
-        const setupOnYouTubeIframeAPIReadyMaxCalls=3;
+        const setupOnYouTubeIframeAPIReadyMaxCalls=5;
 
     Initialize.prototype = methodsDict;
 
@@ -174,30 +174,31 @@ function(VideoPlayer, i18n, moment, _) {
                         throw new Error('Too many OnYouTubeIframeAPIReady retries after TypeError...giving up.');
                     }
 
-                    _oldOnYouTubeIframeAPIReady = window.onYouTubeIframeAPIReady || undefined;
+                    try {
+                        _oldOnYouTubeIframeAPIReady = window.onYouTubeIframeAPIReady || undefined;
 
-                    window.onYouTubeIframeAPIReady = function() {
-                        window.onYouTubeIframeAPIReady.resolve();
-                    };
+                        window.onYouTubeIframeAPIReady = function() {
+                            window.onYouTubeIframeAPIReady.resolve();
+                        };
 
-                    try {
                         window.onYouTubeIframeAPIReady.resolve = _youtubeApiDeferred.resolve;
+                        window.onYouTubeIframeAPIReady.done = _youtubeApiDeferred.done;
+
+                        if (_oldOnYouTubeIframeAPIReady) {
+                            window.onYouTubeIframeAPIReady.done(_oldOnYouTubeIframeAPIReady);
+                        }
                     } catch (e) {
                         console.error('Error while trying to resolve the Deferred object responsible for calling OnYouTubeIframeAPIReady callbacks.');
                         console.error('window.onYouTubeIframeAPIReady is ' + window.onYouTubeIframeAPIReady);
                         console.error(e);
                         if (e instanceof TypeError) {
-                            setupOnYouTubeIframeAPIReady(); // Try again up to defined max calls.
+                            setTimeout(setupOnYouTubeIframeAPIReady, 500); // Try again up to defined max calls.
                         }
                         else {
                             throw e;
                         }
                     }
-                    window.onYouTubeIframeAPIReady.done = _youtubeApiDeferred.done;
 
-                    if (_oldOnYouTubeIframeAPIReady) {
-                        window.onYouTubeIframeAPIReady.done(_oldOnYouTubeIframeAPIReady);
-                    }
                 };
 
                 // If a Deferred object hasn't been created yet, create one now. It will