How do I add EPG to an M3U playlist?

Each channel needs a tvg-id that matches a channel id in an XMLTV guide, and the app needs the guide's URL. Load both into the EPG matcher, review the matches, and download the playlist with tvg-ids filled in and the guide URL in its header.

It's an attribute on each #EXTINF line of an M3U playlist, like tvg-id="CNN.us", that tells the app which guide channel belongs to the stream. It must match the guide's channel id exactly, including capital letters.

Can I generate an EPG from an M3U file?

Not the programme data itself: a playlist only has channel names and links, so the schedule has to come from an XMLTV guide. What you can do is connect your playlist to an existing guide, which is what this tool does.

Is my playlist uploaded?

Files and pasted text are processed in your browser. If you load a playlist or guide by URL, our server downloads it once to get past browser restrictions and doesn't store it.

Why do some channels have no match?

The guide doesn't list them, or names them very differently. Search the guide in our EPG checker for the channel and copy its id into the box, or use a guide that covers that country.

Free tool · No signup

M3U EPG Matcher: Add tvg-id to Your Playlist

Load your playlist and an EPG guide, and this tool matches each channel to the guide by name, then writes the correct tvg-id into the playlist. It's the fix for an IPTV guide that says "No information" on half your channels.

1Your playlist

We fetch the URL once from our server so your browser can read it. Nothing is stored.

2The EPG guide

We fetch the URL once from our server so your browser can read it. Nothing is stored.

Use the guide your app will load. The EPG checker can tell you if it's healthy.

How to use it

1
Load your playlist. Paste the M3U URL, upload the file or paste the text.
2
Load the guide. Give it the XMLTV URL your app uses (.xml or .xml.gz), or upload the file.
3
Review the matches. Exact and likely matches are ticked for you. Check the amber ones and type a different id where needed.
4
Download. Download the fixed playlist, with the guide URL added to its header if you like, and load it in your app.

Why channels lose their guide

An IPTV app links each playlist channel to the guide with one value: the tvg-id in the playlist must equal the id of a <channel> in the XMLTV file, exactly. If the playlist came without tvg-ids, or the guide was swapped for a different one, nothing lines up and the app shows an empty grid. Our EPG checker tells you how many ids match; this tool fixes the ones that don't.

How the matching works

Channel names in playlists are messy: US: CNN HD, |UK| BBC One FHD, ESPN 2 (backup). Before comparing, the matcher strips country prefixes, quality tags (HD, FHD, 4K, HEVC), brackets and punctuation, so UK | BBC One FHD and the guide's BBC One become the same thing. It then scores every likely guide channel on letter and word similarity.

Two rules stop the common mistakes. Numbers must agree, so Sky Sports 1 never lands on Sky Sports 2 and ITV1 +1 stays a separate timeshift channel. And a country hint counts: a US: channel prefers guide ids ending in .us.

Label	Meaning	What to do
Exact	Same name after clean-up	Nothing, it's ticked
Likely	Very close, for example an extra word	Usually right; skim the list
Check	A guess	Look at it; type the right id or untick it
No match	Nothing similar in this guide	The guide may not carry that channel. Try another guide

After you download

Load the new file in your app and refresh the EPG. In TiviMate that's Settings, EPG, update; in IPTV Smarters it's the EPG reload button. If you ticked "add the guide URL to the header", many apps pick the guide up from the playlist on their own. If the grid is still empty, see EPG not loading.

Keep in mind that a provider's playlist URL can overwrite your fixed file the next time the app refreshes it. If your app lets you load a local file, use that; otherwise ask your provider to include tvg-ids. Use this only with playlists you're allowed to use.

Questions people ask

How do I add EPG to an M3U playlist?: Each channel needs a tvg-id that matches a channel id in an XMLTV guide, and the app needs the guide's URL. Load both into the EPG matcher, review the matches, and download the playlist with tvg-ids filled in and the guide URL in its header.
What is a tvg-id?: It's an attribute on each #EXTINF line of an M3U playlist, like tvg-id="CNN.us", that tells the app which guide channel belongs to the stream. It must match the guide's channel id exactly, including capital letters.
Can I generate an EPG from an M3U file?: Not the programme data itself: a playlist only has channel names and links, so the schedule has to come from an XMLTV guide. What you can do is connect your playlist to an existing guide, which is what this tool does.
Is my playlist uploaded?: Files and pasted text are processed in your browser. If you load a playlist or guide by URL, our server downloads it once to get past browser restrictions and doesn't store it.
Why do some channels have no match?: The guide doesn't list them, or names them very differently. Search the guide in our EPG checker for the channel and copy its id into the box, or use a guide that covers that country.

Last updated October 16, 2026 by the IPTVTips team. Free to use, no account needed. Found a bug? Tell us.

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