IPTV EPG Not Working? How to Fix a Missing or Wrong TV Guide

The electronic programme guide, or EPG, is the grid that tells you what is on now and next. When it fails it does so in one of three ways: it is completely empty, it shows the right programmes at the wrong times, or it works for some channels and not others. Each has a different cause, so start by deciding which one you have.

How the guide actually works

Guide data is not part of the video stream. It is a separate file, in a format called XMLTV, that your player downloads and then matches to channels using an ID. That explains most faults:

• If the file has not been downloaded, the guide is empty.
• If the player thinks you are in a different time zone, every time is shifted.
• If a channel has no matching ID in the file, that one row is blank.

The guide is completely empty

Give it time on first setup

After adding a login, the first guide download can take several minutes on a streaming stick. Leave the app open before deciding it has failed.

Force a refresh

Every player has a setting named something like “Update EPG”, “Refresh guide” or “Reload playlist”. Use it, then restart the app.

Check the login type

With an Xtream Codes login the guide address is supplied automatically. With an M3U playlist, some players need the guide address entered in a separate “EPG URL” field. If you are using M3U and have no guide, that missing field is the usual reason — see M3U vs Xtream Codes.

Check the device clock

If the device's own date or time is wrong, the player may discard perfectly good guide data as “in the past”. Set the device to automatic date and time.

The times are wrong

This is a time-zone mismatch, and it is the easiest fault to fix.

1. Open the player's settings and look for Time zone, EPG time shift or EPG offset.
2. If there is a time-zone list, choose your city or region rather than a fixed offset. A named zone follows daylight-saving changes; a fixed offset does not.
3. If there is only an offset, move it an hour at a time until a programme you know is live lines up.

Viewers in the UK see this twice a year when the clocks change, and viewers in the United States see it when watching a feed from another coast. The regional pages for the UK, Sweden and the USA list the right zone to choose.

Only some channels are blank

A blank row beside a channel that plays normally means the guide file has no entry matching that channel. Things to try:

• Refresh the guide once more; partial downloads happen.
• In players that support it, open the channel's options and assign the guide entry manually.
• Accept that a few channels, particularly occasional event channels, never carry guide data.

The guide is out of date

If the grid stops a day or two ahead, the player has not refreshed recently. Look for an automatic update interval in the settings and set it to once a day, or refresh manually. Some players only update while they are open.

Player-specific notes

• Android TV and Fire TV players generally have the most guide options, including manual assignment and a choice of how many days to store. The TiviMate guide shows where they are.
• Smart TV players often hide guide settings under the playlist's own menu rather than the main settings screen.
• Apple players refresh only while the app is in the foreground, so open the app for a minute before you sit down to browse.

Frequently asked questions

What does EPG stand for?

Electronic programme guide: the on-screen schedule for live channels.

Does a missing guide mean the channel is broken?

No. The guide and the video arrive separately. A channel can play perfectly with no guide data at all.

Why did my guide break when the clocks changed?

Your player is using a fixed offset rather than a named time zone. Switch to a named zone, or adjust the offset by an hour.

How many days ahead should the guide show?

It depends on the data supplied and on your player's storage setting. Storing fewer days makes a slow device noticeably quicker.