Suddenly my ipad requires activating but the activation server is down

I just updated BT Sport on my ipad, I turned it on again a few hours later and saw a message saying it needed activating. I followed the options but then get a message saying the server is temporarily unavailable, and try again or connect the ipad to itunes, if the problem persists contact support- so here I am, and I have no idea how to connect to itunes. So whats happening and why and how can I gain access to my ipad- importantly what if anything have apple done to prevent me from accessing my device?