Find the cause
| What happens | Likely cause | Go to |
|---|---|---|
| No catch-up icon on any channel | Login type or player | Steps 2 and 3 |
| Icon on some channels, not others | Those channels aren’t archived | Step 1 |
| Error when you play a past programme | Archive expired, or the server is refusing the request | Steps 1 and 5 |
| The wrong programme starts | Guide time offset | Step 4 |
For how catch-up works in the first place, see IPTV catch-up explained.
Fixes
1. Check that the channel has an archive
Providers archive selected channels, each for a set number of days. Look for the catch-up or archive icon next to the channel in the guide; channels without it can’t be replayed. Programmes older than the archive period are gone too.
2. Check your login type
- Xtream Codes login: compatible players learn which channels have an archive, and for how long, from the server. This is the most reliable way to get catch-up.
- M3U link: the playlist itself has to carry catch-up details for each channel, such as the
catchup,catchup-daysandcatchup-sourceattributes documented for Kodi’s IPTV Simple client. If your provider’s M3U doesn’t include them, catch-up won’t appear. Ask whether an Xtream Codes login is available. - MAG and Formuler portals: Formuler’s helpdesk notes that its catch-up works with portal services rather than plain M3U playlists.
3. Check that your player supports catch-up
Not every player does, and some put it behind a paid upgrade. In players that support it, the archive is reached from the TV guide: scroll back to a programme that has finished and select it. See our app guides for which players support it.
4. Fix the guide’s time offset
The player requests archived programmes by time. If the guide shows programmes an hour early or late, catch-up asks for the wrong hour too. Set the device’s clock and time zone to automatic first, then adjust the guide offset in the player if it’s still wrong. See EPG showing the wrong time.
5. Refresh and retry
Refresh the playlist and the guide so the player has the current archive information, then try again. If a programme inside the archive period still fails on a channel that has catch-up, and other channels’ catch-up works, report the channel and programme time to your provider.
Recording instead
Catch-up depends on the provider’s archive. If you want a programme kept for longer, or on a channel without an archive, use a player or box that can record to your own storage, where that’s permitted. See IPTV catch-up explained.