IPTV Catch-Up Explained: Rewatch Missed Shows (2026)

Missed the match because of the school run? Fell asleep halfway through a drama? Catch-up is one of the most useful IPTV features and one of the least understood. Here is what it is, where to find it, and why it sometimes appears on one channel but not another.

What catch-up actually is

Catch-up (sometimes called TV archive or timeshift) lets you go back in the TV guide and play a programme that has already aired, straight from the server. You do not need to record anything in advance. If the channel has catch-up enabled, the past programmes in the guide are playable.

It is different from the on-demand library, which is a separate collection of films and box sets you can watch at any time. Catch-up is tied to live channels and their schedule.

How to tell which channels have it

Not every channel has catch-up. The provider has to archive each one, which takes storage, so it is usually enabled on the most popular UK channels. Most player apps mark these channels with a small clock or rewind icon next to the channel name.

How far back you can go varies by channel, typically from one day up to about a week. Once a programme drops out of that window, it is gone from catch-up.

Using catch-up in TiviMate

1. Open the TV guide and scroll to a channel with the catch-up icon
2. Press left on the remote to move back in time through the guide
3. Select a programme that has already finished and choose Play
4. Use the remote to pause, rewind and fast forward as normal

New to TiviMate? Our TiviMate setup guide walks through installation and adding your playlist.

Using catch-up in IPTV Smarters

1. From the home screen, open Catch Up (on some versions it sits under Live TV)
2. Pick a channel category, then the channel
3. Choose the date, then the programme you want to watch

See our IPTV Smarters Pro guide if you have not set the app up yet.

Why catch-up sometimes doesn't work

• The guide is wrong or empty. Catch-up relies on the TV guide (EPG) to know what aired when. If the guide is not loading, catch-up cannot find the programme. See our EPG fix guide.
• The channel has no archive. If there is no catch-up icon, there is nothing to play back.
• Your app's clock or time zone is off. If the device time is wrong, the guide lines up with the wrong programmes. Make sure your device is set to UK time.
• The programme is outside the window. Older shows have already been cleared from the archive.

Catch-up vs recording

Some apps, such as TiviMate Premium, can also record live channels to your device's storage. Recording is useful for channels without catch-up, or for keeping something longer than the archive allows. On a Firestick, storage is limited, so record to a USB drive through an adapter or keep recordings short. For most people, catch-up covers almost everything they missed without any setup.

The bottom line

Catch-up turns live TV into something you can watch on your own schedule. Look for the icon, make sure the guide is loading, and scroll back. Want to see how many of your regular channels support it? Try it yourself with a 6-hour free trial.