EPG stands for electronic programme guide: the on-screen TV guide that shows what's on now, what's next and the schedule for the coming days. On Freeview or satellite, the guide comes with the broadcast signal. On IPTV, it's a separate stream of listings data that your player app downloads and matches to each channel.
Where IPTV guide data comes from
Most IPTV guides use a format called XMLTV: a file listing programmes, start and end times and descriptions for each channel. Your app gets it in one of two ways:
- Automatically, with an Xtream login. If you sign in with an Xtream Codes login, most apps fetch the guide from the same server without you doing anything.
- From an EPG link, with an M3U playlist. If you use an M3U playlist, you may need to paste a separate guide address (often ending in .xml or .xml.gz) into the app's EPG settings. The .gz version is the same file compressed, so it downloads faster; most apps accept either.
The app then matches listings to channels using each channel's guide ID (the tvg-id in an M3U playlist). When a channel's ID doesn't match anything in the guide data, that channel shows “No information”.
What a listing looks like
Each programme in an XMLTV guide is a short entry like this:
<programme start="20261028200000 +0000" stop="20261028210000 +0000" channel="channel.one">
<title lang="en">Evening News</title>
<desc lang="en">The day's main stories.</desc>
</programme>The times are written as year, month, day, hours, minutes and seconds, followed by an offset from GMT: UK listings use +0000 in winter and +0100 during British Summer Time. That offset is why guides sometimes slip by exactly an hour: if the listings and your device disagree about British Summer Time, every programme appears an hour early or late. The channel value is the guide ID that must match the channel in your playlist.
Adding an EPG source
Open your app's settings
Look for EPG, TV guide or Program guide.Add the guide address
Paste the EPG (XMLTV) link exactly as provided.Set how often it updates
Providers usually refresh their guide data daily, so an update every 12 or 24 hours keeps yours current.Refresh and wait
The first download can take a few minutes on a large guide, especially on slower streaming sticks.
Fixing common guide problems
The guide is completely empty
- Refresh or update the EPG from the app's settings, then restart the app.
- Check the device has enough free storage: large guides need space to save.
- If you use an M3U playlist, make sure an EPG link is actually added.
- Message your provider: the guide source may have changed.
Listings are an hour (or more) out
This is almost always a time-zone issue. First check the date, time and time zone on your device are set to the UK and update automatically, including the change to and from British Summer Time. If the device is right but the guide is still out, use the app's EPG time-shift or time-offset setting to move listings by the difference. UK clocks go forward at 1am on the last Sunday in March and back at 2am on the last Sunday in October, so those are the weekends to check.
Some channels have no listings
Usually the channel's guide ID doesn't match the guide data. Some apps, such as TiviMate, let you pick the correct listings for a channel manually. Not every channel has guide data, particularly event channels that only broadcast occasionally.
The guide loads slowly or crashes the app
Large guides can strain low-memory devices. Clear the app's cache, reduce how many days of listings the app keeps, and see our guide to a slow Fire TV Stick if your stick struggles generally.
Getting more from the guide
- Favourites first: most apps can show only your favourite channels in the guide, which makes it far quicker to browse.
- Hide what you never watch: hiding whole channel groups shrinks the guide and the amount of data the app has to keep.
- Reminders: some players can remind you when a programme starts, which is handy for live events.
Catch-up from the guide
On services that support it, the EPG is also how you reach catch-up: scroll back in the guide and select a programme that's already aired. Our guide to catch-up and VOD explains how that works.