What Is IPTV Catch-Up (TV Archive) and How Does It Work?

Catch-up, sometimes called TV archive or replay, lets you watch programmes after they've aired by scrolling back in the TV guide. Your service records selected channels on its servers and keeps them for a set window, usually a few days. You pick last night's episode in the guide and it plays from the start. It only works if your service offers it on that channel and your player supports it.

How it works

1. The service continuously records channels it offers catch-up for.
2. It marks those channels (and how many days back they go) in your playlist or Xtream data.
3. Your player reads that, and lets you select past programmes in the guide.
4. When you select one, the player requests that time period from the service's archive.

Because the player finds programmes by guide times, an accurate guide matters. If the guide is an hour out, catch-up starts an hour out too; see EPG not working.

Catch-up vs recording vs timeshift

Players that support catch-up

• TiviMate (Premium): see TiviMate Premium.
• XCIPTV: "catchup with EPG" per its store listing; see XCIPTV guide.
• UHF and IPTVX on Apple devices, both list catch-up.
• Kodi with IPTV Simple Client, which supports catch-up and archive streams (IPTV Simple Client docs); see Kodi IPTV setup.
• Sparkle TV (Plus version).

Why catch-up doesn't work

1. The channel doesn't have it. Services usually offer catch-up on some channels only. Players often mark those with an icon.
2. It's too old. The programme is outside the archive window.
3. Your player needs it enabled or a premium upgrade.
4. The guide is wrong, so the player asks for the wrong time.
5. The service's archive is down, which you can't fix.

How long does catch-up last?

It depends on the service and the channel. A few days is common, and some channels offer longer. Players usually show how far back each channel goes, and anything outside that window simply won't play. If you often want programmes from further back, recording is the reliable answer; see recording IPTV on a Firestick or recording in TiviMate.

Catch-up and your connection limit

Watching a catch-up programme uses a stream, just like live TV, so it counts toward your login's connection limit. If catch-up fails while someone else is watching, that's a likely reason; see IPTV on multiple devices.

Timeshift: pausing live TV

Timeshift is the lighter cousin of catch-up: your player keeps what you've watched since tuning in, so you can pause and rewind within that window. It works on any channel, not only catch-up ones, but it only goes back as far as when you started watching. Kodi's documentation describes this as a timeshift mode in its ffmpegdirect add-on, and several other players offer something similar.

Licensed services do this differently

YouTube TV and similar services use cloud DVR instead: you record, and recordings are stored online for months. Broadcaster apps offer recent episodes on demand. If catch-up matters, check what each licensed service offers before choosing; see YouTube TV vs Sling.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Assuming every channel has catch-up.
• Expecting catch-up beyond the service's archive window.
• Forgetting that watching catch-up uses a connection.

Licensed alternatives

Licensed services handle this differently. YouTube TV has unlimited cloud DVR; many broadcasters have on-demand apps with recent episodes. Free services like Pluto TV and Tubi don't offer catch-up on live channels, but many shows are in their on-demand libraries. If you record a lot yourself, see recording with TiviMate.