Home and Away is back on UK screens today after its Christmas break, but things are playing out a little differently as 5’s new plan for how it releases episodes goes into effect. Read up on what’s changed so you don’t get caught out.

As you might have already noticed, the show didn’t air in its 1.45pm slot on 5, and that’s the new normal for the show now.

If you want to watch the show the old-fashioned way, 5STAR is still airing new episodes at 6.30pm every weekday, following the 6pm repeat of the previous episode.

Or you can watch at your own leisure via streaming, as episodes drop on 5’s on demand service at 6am every weekday.

It’s a continuation of 5’s streaming-first strategy that was implemented last March, which the broadcaster called a “phenomenal success”. By dropping the daytime slot, 5 hopes to get more people watching via streaming.

“Viewers have fully embraced the flexibility of on-demand viewing, driving double-digit year-on-year growth and making streaming the preferred way to watch the show,” said Greg Barnett, Commissioning Editor at 5.

“Moving daytime episodes exclusively to streaming is a natural next step, reflecting how audiences want to engage with their favourite content.”

5 states that it is committed to the soap, and the change has cemented it “at the heart of 5’s streaming strategy after a year of record-breaking engagement”.

For those of you who haven’t streamed the episode already, here are some light spoilers.

The Summer Bay community are still mourning for Theo after the shocking events of Cash and Eden’s wedding, while one Summer Bay resident is rocked by news of another death.

Home and Away drops new episodes on weekdays at 6am on 5’s streaming service with a 6.30pm screening on 5STAR. Selected classic episodes are available via Prime Video in the UK.

In Australia, the show airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7pm on Channel 7 and streams on 7Plus.