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IPTV / TiviMate

TiviMate EPG Setup Guide (2026): Add & Fix Your Program Guide

TiviMate is the best IPTV player for Fire Stick and Android TV — but its Electronic Program Guide (EPG) setup confuses a lot of people. Blank guides, missing channels, wrong times, and channels that won't match are the most common issues.

This guide covers every EPG setup method in TiviMate, plus the fixes for every common problem.

What Is an EPG?

An EPG (Electronic Program Guide) is the on-screen TV guide that shows what's playing now and what's coming up — like the channel guide on cable TV. Without an EPG, TiviMate just shows channel names with no program information.

EPG data comes from an external source — either your IPTV provider includes it automatically, or you add a separate EPG URL. There are three ways to set this up in TiviMate:

  1. XMLTV URL — a direct URL to an XML file containing program data
  2. Xtream Codes API — your IPTV provider serves EPG data through their API automatically
  3. Third-party EPG sources — external EPG providers that cover channels your provider misses

Method 1: XMLTV URL (Most Common)

If your IPTV provider gives you a separate EPG URL (usually ending in .xml or .xml.gz), use this method:

  1. Open TiviMate and go to Settings → EPG.
  2. Select EPG source → Add source.
  3. Choose XMLTV.
  4. Enter your EPG URL. It will look something like: http://your-provider.com/xmltv.php?username=XXX&password=XXX
  5. Click Add.
  6. Wait for TiviMate to download and parse the EPG data. This can take 30 seconds to 2 minutes depending on the file size.
  7. Once loaded, go back to the channel list. Programs should now appear in the guide.

Tip: Test your EPG URL in a web browser first. Paste it into Chrome or Firefox — if it downloads an XML file or shows XML data, it's working. If it shows an error or blank page, the URL is invalid.

Method 2: Xtream Codes (Easiest — Auto-EPG)

If you added your IPTV service to TiviMate using the Xtream Codes login (server URL, username, password), the EPG may already be included automatically.

  1. Go to Settings → EPG.
  2. Check if an EPG source is already listed with your Xtream Codes connection name.
  3. If it's there, select it and tap Update EPG.
  4. If not, go to Settings → Playlists, select your playlist, and look for "Use EPG from playlist" — enable it.

Xtream Codes is the easiest method because the EPG data comes bundled with your channel list. No separate URL needed. However, the EPG quality depends entirely on your IPTV provider — some providers have excellent EPG data, others have gaps.

Method 3: Third-Party EPG Sources

If your IPTV provider's EPG is incomplete or missing channels, you can add a third-party EPG source to fill the gaps. Popular options:

To add a third-party source, follow the same XMLTV method above — just use the third-party URL instead of your provider's URL.

EPG Update Frequency

Configure how often TiviMate refreshes the EPG data:

  1. Go to Settings → EPG → Update interval.
  2. Set it to every 4–6 hours. This is the sweet spot — frequent enough to stay current, not so frequent that it wastes bandwidth.
  3. Enable "Update on app start" if you want fresh data every time you open TiviMate.

Avoid setting the interval to less than 2 hours. It puts unnecessary load on the EPG server and can cause your provider to rate-limit your requests.

Fixing Channel Matching Issues

The most common EPG problem: your channel list shows names like "ESPN HD" but the EPG data uses "ESPN" — so TiviMate can't match them. Fixes:

Auto-Match (TiviMate Premium)

  1. Go to Settings → EPG → Channel mapping.
  2. TiviMate will show channels with no EPG match.
  3. For each unmatched channel, select it and choose the correct EPG channel from the list.
  4. TiviMate remembers these mappings — you only need to do this once per channel.

Manual Name Editing

  1. Long-press on a channel in the TiviMate channel list.
  2. Select Edit channel.
  3. Change the channel name to exactly match the EPG source's naming convention.

Tip: If you have hundreds of channels with mismatched names, the channel mapping feature in TiviMate Premium is worth the $4.99/year — it saves hours of manual renaming.

Fixing Time Zone Offset Issues

If your EPG shows the correct programs but at the wrong times, you have a time zone offset problem:

  1. Go to Settings → EPG → Time shift.
  2. Adjust the offset in hours. For example:
    • If shows appear 3 hours ahead, set offset to -3.
    • If shows appear 5 hours behind, set offset to +5.
  3. The most common scenario: your EPG source is in UTC (GMT+0) and you're in US Eastern (GMT-5), so set the offset to -5.

If you use a VPN that changes your apparent location, make sure the EPG time offset accounts for your actual time zone — not the VPN server's time zone.

TiviMate Free vs Premium: EPG Features

Feature Free Premium ($4.99/yr)
Basic EPG display ✅ ✅
XMLTV source 1 source Multiple sources
Xtream Codes EPG ✅ ✅
Auto EPG update Manual only Scheduled auto-update
Channel mapping ❌ ✅
EPG search ❌ ✅
Time shift ✅ ✅
Multi-playlist EPG ❌ ✅

For most users with a single IPTV provider, the free version handles EPG fine. If you have multiple providers or channels with mismatched names, Premium is worth it.

VPN Recommendation for IPTV

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See our IPTV on Fire Stick guide for complete setup instructions, and our best VPNs for Fire Stick comparison for alternatives.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my TiviMate EPG blank?
Most likely the EPG source URL is invalid, expired, or your IPTV provider doesn't include EPG data. Try the Xtream Codes method first (it auto-pulls EPG), then check your XMLTV URL in a browser to confirm it loads XML data.
How often should TiviMate update the EPG?
Set it to every 4–6 hours. More frequent updates waste bandwidth without benefit. Less frequent means your guide goes stale. Go to Settings → EPG → Update interval.
Can I use multiple EPG sources in TiviMate?
Yes, but only with TiviMate Premium. You can add multiple XMLTV sources and assign them to different channel groups. Free TiviMate allows only one EPG source.
My EPG times are wrong — how do I fix it?
Go to Settings → EPG → Time shift and adjust the offset. Most common fix: set it to match the difference between your time zone and the EPG source's time zone. If your provider is in UTC, set the offset to your UTC difference (e.g., -5 for Eastern).
Do I need TiviMate Premium for EPG?
Basic EPG works in the free version. Premium ($4.99/year) adds multiple EPG sources, EPG search, custom mapping, and more frequent auto-updates.

What to Read Next

iStreamPilot guides are for informational and educational purposes. TiviMate is a legal IPTV player — the content you access through it determines legality. Always use IPTV services that comply with applicable copyright laws in your jurisdiction.

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