EPG stands for electronic programme guide — the grid of what's on now and next that you scroll through to find something to watch. With IPTV, the guide is separate data that your player downloads and matches to your channels. When everything lines up, it's seamless. When it doesn't, you see "No information" under every channel.
How the IPTV guide works
- Your provider publishes guide data — listings for each channel for the coming days.
- Your player downloads that data, either automatically (with an Xtream login) or from a separate XMLTV link (with some M3U-based players).
- The player matches each listing to a channel using an ID, then displays the grid.
Most problems come from step 2 (the data didn't download) or step 3 (the IDs didn't match).
Getting the guide in popular players
TiviMate — with an Xtream login the guide loads automatically. To refresh it, open Settings → EPG and choose Update EPG.
IPTV Smarters — the guide loads with your Xtream login. Use the Install EPG or refresh option in the live TV section if it's empty.
Kodi (PVR IPTV Simple Client) — add the XMLTV guide link in the add-on's settings alongside your M3U link. Ask support for the link if you don't have it.
Smart TV apps (such as SIPTV) — some load the guide automatically; others need an EPG link added through the developer's website.
Not sure whether you're using an Xtream login or an M3U playlist? Check the IPTV login formats explained.
Fixing a blank or missing guide
- Give it time. The first download of a full guide can take a few minutes.
- Refresh the EPG manually in the player's settings.
- Restart the device to clear a stuck download.
- Check the time zone in the player and on the device — a wrong time zone shifts every listing.
- Increase storage for the guide if your player lets you set how many days to keep.
- Switch to an Xtream login if you're using an M3U link without an XMLTV address — Xtream loads the guide automatically.
When listings are there but wrong
- Everything is an hour out — check the device's time zone and the player's time-shift setting, especially after the clocks change.
- One channel shows another channel's programmes — the channel ID has been matched incorrectly. Most players let you choose the correct listing manually for that channel.
- A few channels have no listings — not every channel publishes guide data, particularly smaller international channels.
The guide and catch-up
On channels that support catch-up, the EPG is also your time machine: scroll back to a programme from earlier in the week and select it to play. If catch-up programmes don't appear, check that your player supports catch-up (TiviMate and IPTV Smarters both do — see our IPTV player guide) and that the channel is marked as a catch-up channel.
