Short answer
Catch Up runs on your internet connection, not the satellite dish. If live channels work but Catch Up does not, the problem is almost always the network, the decoder falling off WiFi, or your package.
Work through it in this order: check the decoder is online, check the internet itself works, restart the decoder, then check the package includes it.
Live channels failing as well is a different problem entirely: that points at the dish.
First, work out which system has failed
A DStv decoder has two independent feeds and Catch Up only uses one of them. Getting this straight in the first thirty seconds saves a lot of pointless fiddling.
- Live channels fine, Catch Up broken: internet, network or account. Keep reading.
- Live channels broken too: that is the satellite side. Start with our E48-32 guide instead.
- Catch Up loads but stalls partway: bandwidth, not a fault. See the buffering section below.
People spend a surprising amount of time re-pointing dishes over a Catch Up problem. If the live channels are coming through cleanly, the dish is doing its job and the fault is somewhere between your router and DStv.
Is the decoder actually online?
Go into the decoder’s network or connectivity settings and check its connection status. Do not rely on the fact that it worked last week: decoders drop off networks quietly and give no warning on screen until you try to open something that needs the internet.
The usual culprits:
- The router was replaced or the WiFi password changed. A fibre upgrade will do this and nobody thinks to reconnect the decoder afterwards.
- Load-shedding. The decoder may be on backup power while the router is not. Live TV keeps going, Catch Up does not.
- Weak WiFi at the TV point. Very common in older Franschhoek houses with thick stone and brick walls, and in converted cottages a long way from the router.
- The WiFi connector worked loose on decoders that use one.
If you need to reconnect it, our guide to connecting a DStv Explora to WiFi and the internet covers both the wireless and wired routes, and the DStv WiFi Connector guide explains which decoders need the dongle at all.
Prove the internet itself is working
A decoder showing “connected” only means it joined your local network. It does not mean the line beyond the router is up.
Quick test: stand next to the television with your phone on the same WiFi network, turn mobile data off, and load a web page. If your phone struggles in that spot, the decoder is struggling more: it has a smaller aerial and it is not moving around looking for a better signal.
That test also tells you something a speed test at the router will not. Plenty of homes have perfectly good fibre and terrible coverage at the one point in the house where the TV happens to be.
The restart that usually fixes it
If the decoder is online and the internet is healthy, a proper restart clears a good proportion of Catch Up faults:
- Switch the decoder off at the wall, not to standby.
- While it is off, restart the router too and give it a couple of minutes to come back properly.
- Power the decoder back up and let it settle: it may pull an update, which can take a few minutes.
- Try Catch Up again.
Do not jump to a factory reset. It wipes your network settings, recordings and preferences, and it very rarely fixes a Catch Up problem that a normal restart did not. It also means setting the whole decoder up again afterwards.
Buffering rather than failing
If Catch Up starts and then stalls, that is a bandwidth problem, not a fault. Streaming video needs a steady connection more than a fast one: a line that peaks well but dips constantly will stutter.
Things that make it worse: several people streaming at once, a cheap WiFi extender repeating an already-weak signal, or evening congestion. If the household actually relies on Catch Up and Showmax, a wired Ethernet run to the TV point is the fix that lasts. Our guide to access points and network cabling covers covering a larger property properly.
When it is the account, not the technology
Catch Up content is tied to your package. A downgrade quietly removes titles that were available the month before, and people reasonably assume something has broken.
Check what your current package actually includes in our DStv packages and price list, and if the bill changed recently, our DStv price increase 2026 breakdown explains what moved.
Also worth knowing: if the account was suspended and reconnected, connected features sometimes take longer to come back than live channels. Send a refresh from the MyDStv app, or see our guide on activating a DStv decoder if the reconnection itself has not gone through.
Frequently asked questions
Does Catch Up use my data?
Yes. It streams over your internet connection, so it uses data like any other streaming service. On a capped or mobile connection that adds up quickly.
Why do live channels work but Catch Up does not?
They use different feeds. Live television comes off the dish; Catch Up comes off your internet connection. One can fail while the other is perfectly healthy.
Do I need an Explora for Catch Up?
You need a connected decoder that supports it. Basic HD decoders generally do not offer the same on-demand functionality.
Will a better dish fix Catch Up?
No. The dish has nothing to do with it. Spend the money on the network instead.
Content disappeared from Catch Up. Is that a fault?
Usually not. Titles rotate on and off as broadcast rights change, and a package downgrade also removes content.
Based in Franschhoek or the surrounding Winelands? If Catch Up keeps dropping, it is nearly always the network at the TV point rather than the decoder. We test the connection and cable it properly where WiFi will not hold. See our WiFi and network cabling service. Call 079 754 5527 or request a free quote.
Need a DSTV technician?
Same-day DSTV installation, signal repair and Explora setup across Franschhoek and the Cape Winelands.
