When you watchÌýa programme online, either live or on demand, this is known as streaming.
Downloading is saving the programmeÌýto your device temporarilyÌýand watching it when you're not connected to the internet.Ìý
Streaming programmes
Streaming works by playing the programmeÌýonline which allows you to watch it immediately. To do this, find what you want to watch on the Â鶹ԼÅÄ iPlayer website or app, either live or on demand, and pressÌýplay. You can also useÌýLiveÌýRestart to watch a programme that's already started from the beginning. Find out more in theÌýHow do I use Live Restart?Ìý±è²¹²µ±ð.
Sometimes your internet speed may not be fast enough to allow for streaming. Typically, the playback will freeze, skip and 'buffer.' If that's the case downloading may be a better option for you.
Downloading programmes
Downloading a programme means you can save it temporarily to your device to watch when you're not connected to the internet, or when you're outside of the UK. To find out more about downloading programmes, check theÌýHow can I watch programmes when I'm offline? ±è²¹²µ±ð.Ìý
Downloads are subject to rights restrictions, so they'reÌýavailable for the same amount of time as the programme on our website or app. This is often 30 days but may be longer; months orÌýover a year, whereas for certain content, mainlyÌýsports events, the availability will be shorter, or sometimes downloading won't be an option.
You can download content when this symbol is displayed on screen:
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