Distinguish live viewing from replay publication
A scheduled programme, the live channel player and a completed on-demand episode are different states. If you arrive just after a broadcast, first check which state you are looking at. The schedule establishes when it aired; it does not prove the catch-up edition has already been published.
For a practical example, a viewer may miss the start of an evening programme and decide to watch the complete replay later. Check the broadcast’s end rather than its start when comparing the publisher’s stated publication window. Repeatedly refreshing during the programme does not make its completed replay available.
Use the stated window with its proper scope
The checked M6+ help describes an earliest point one hour after the end and a latest point the next day for programmes broadcast on the group’s channels. It also describes the basic catch-up offer and separate subscription channels. Do not generalise the timing to every external partner or exclusive advance-release title.
An unavailable episode can also have rights or catalogue conditions. If the normal publication period passes, move from waiting to checking the exact programme and platform. A broad timing rule is useful for triage, not a guarantee about an unverified title’s present availability.
Prepare a specific missing-replay report
Record the programme, episode, channel, broadcast date and approximate finish time, then note when and where you searched. If you can find a related clip but not the full programme, state that distinction. A short highlight is not necessarily the missing full replay.
This evidence gives support a concrete publication question instead of a vague claim that the service is empty. Avoid purchasing an option merely to force a replay to appear unless the actual offer identifies it as paid content. This article follows official service timing guidance and contains no schedule or publication monitoring test.
Questions about this guide
Should replay appear the instant the broadcast ends?
The official help states a later post-broadcast publication window.
Is a clip necessarily the complete replay?
No. Check the programme and episode format.