player.currentItem!.addObserver(self, forKeyPath: "status", options: .New, context: nil)

override func observeValueForKeyPath(keyPath: String?, ofObject object: AnyObject?, change: [String : AnyObject]?, context: UnsafeMutablePointer<Void>) {
        if (keyPath == "status") {
            if let currentItem = self.player?.currentItem {
                let status = currentItem.status
                if (status == .ReadyToPlay) {
                    self.play()
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

var isObservingCurrentItem = false

if currentItem = player.currentItem where isObservingCurrentItem {
    currentItem.removeObserver(self, forKeyPath:"status")
}

player.currentItem!.addObserver(self, forKeyPath: "status", options: .New, context: nil)
isObservingCurrentItem = true

override func observeValueForKeyPath(keyPath: String?, ofObject object: AnyObject?, change: [String : AnyObject]?, context: UnsafeMutablePointer<Void>) {

    if let object = object,
        keyPath = keyPath,
        currentItem = self.player?.currentItem,
        status = currentItem.status
        where status == .ReadyToPlay {
            self.play()
            object.removeObserver(self, forKeyPath:keyPath)
            isObservingCurrentItem = false
    }
}