EPG not loading? How to fix a missing or wrong TV guide

A missing TV guide makes even a good setup feel broken. The good news is that guide problems fall into three clear patterns, and each has a predictable fix. Figure out which one you have first.

Which problem do you have?

1. The whole guide is empty. The player can't download or read the guide file.
2. Some channels have data, others say "No information". The guide loaded, but channel IDs don't match.
3. Guide data shows but the times are wrong. A time zone mismatch.

Fixing an empty guide

Check the EPG URL is actually set

Some playlists include the guide link automatically. Others don't. In your player's playlist settings, confirm there's an EPG or XMLTV URL. If you're using TiviMate, our setup guide shows exactly where it goes.

Test the URL in a browser

Paste it into a browser on a computer. You should get a file download (often ending in .xml or .xml.gz) or a page of XML. If it errors or times out, the problem is on the source's side.

Force an update

Players cache the guide and update on a schedule. Look for an Update EPG option and run it manually, then give it a couple of minutes. Big guides with weeks of data can take a while on low-power devices.

Free up memory

On Fire TV Sticks, huge guide files can fail to process. Reduce how many days of guide data the player keeps, and hide channel groups you don't use so there's less to match.

Fixing channels with no information

Each channel in an M3U playlist can carry a tvg-id. The guide file lists channels with an id. When they match, you get data. When they don't, you get "No information".

#EXTINF:-1 tvg-id="bbcone.uk" tvg-name="BBC One" group-title="UK",BBC One
https://example.com/stream/bbc-one.m3u8

If the guide calls that channel BBCOne.uk or bbc1.uk, it won't match. Your options:

• Map it manually in the player. TiviMate, OTT Navigator and others let you pick the correct guide channel for any channel.
• Use the guide your source recommends. A guide built for a different playlist will always have gaps.
• Add a second guide source. Some players accept multiple EPG URLs and merge them.

Fixing wrong times

If programmes are consistently an hour or two off, the guide uses a different time zone than your device. Two fixes:

1. Make sure your device's time zone is correct in its system settings.
2. Use the player's EPG time shift setting to move the guide by the exact offset.

Still stuck?

Try loading the same playlist and guide in a second player. If it works there, the first player's cache is the problem, so clear its data and add the playlist again. If it fails everywhere, contact the source. And if channels themselves are freezing rather than the guide, head to our buffering fixes.