IPTV EPG Not Working? Fix “No Information,” Wrong Channels & Update Problems

What an IPTV EPG Is

EPG stands for Electronic Program Guide: schedule data that a player uses to show what is on now, what is next and later listings, often with descriptions. A widely used format for this data is XMLTV, which lists channels and the programmes on each one.

The guide is separate from the video. A channel that plays proves that its stream works; it does not prove that the guide has data for that channel, or that the player has matched the data to it.

Find Your EPG Problem by What You See

Answer these questions in order and stop at the first “yes”. Then use the matching section below for what to check, what the result suggests and what it does not prove.

1. “No Information” on every channel

When no channel has guide data, start at the beginning of the guide path:

• Is a guide source set up at all? Some services supply guide data automatically; with others, the guide is a separate address added in the player.
• Did the last guide update actually finish? Look for a last-updated time or an error message in the player's guide or EPG settings.
• Is the guide address still the one you expect? A changed or mistyped address leaves the guide empty.

What it suggests

A missing source, a failed download or a source returning no usable data makes a whole-guide failure more likely than a problem with individual channels.

What it does not prove

A blank guide everywhere does not prove the source is broken: if none of the guide's channel ids matched your playlist, the guide would also be blank on every channel.

2. “No Information” on only some channels

If most channels show listings and a few do not, the guide clearly downloaded, so a total download failure is unlikely. The questions become whether the guide has data for those channels, and whether the player has matched it to them. Look for what the blank channels have in common: a new or renamed channel, or a regional, HD or timeshifted version of another channel.

What it suggests

A partial gap points to coverage, where the guide has no data for those channels, or to matching, where the data exists but is not linked to them.

What it does not prove

It does not tell you which of the two it is. Some channels simply have no guide data, and no setting on your device can create it.

3. A channel shows the wrong programme

If a channel shows listings that clearly belong to another channel, the guide has loaded, but that channel's guide row is attached to the wrong schedule. If your player lets you choose the guide entry for a channel manually, that is the direct fix; otherwise, note the channel and report it.

What it suggests

A matching problem is the leading candidate: the channel's identifier points to, or has been matched with, another channel's guide data. Players that fall back to matching by name can pick up another channel's schedule when a name is shared, for example between regional versions of a channel.

What it does not prove

Refreshing the guide reloads the same data; it does not change how channels are matched, so a refresh alone may change nothing. A regional or timeshifted version of the right channel can also look like a wrong match.

4. The right programmes at the wrong time

If the listings are right but consistently early or late, matching is working; the problem is time. Check, in this order:

1. The device's date, time and time zone settings.
2. Any guide time offset or time-shift setting in the player. Not every player has one; Kodi's IPTV Simple Client, for example, documents a guide time shift from −12 to +14 hours.
3. Whether every channel is off by the same amount, or only some.

In XMLTV guide data, each programme has a start time and often a stop time, and a time can carry its time zone; if none is given, the format treats the time as UTC. So if a guide's times were written for one time zone but labelled as another, or not labelled at all, every programme on that guide shifts by the same amount.

What it suggests

A shift of exactly one or more whole hours across all channels points to a time zone or offset mismatch: on the device, in the player or in the guide data. A shift that began around a daylight-saving change is a useful clue. If only some channels are shifted, those channels' guide data is the more likely cause.

What it does not prove

There is no universal correction, so do not assume +1 or −1 hour, or that daylight saving is to blame. Fix the device clock and time zone first, and use a player offset only if the times are still wrong afterwards: an offset can hide a problem in the source.

5. Old listings, or a guide that stopped updating

• When did the guide last update successfully, according to the player?
• Does refreshing the guide change that time?
• Is the guide address unchanged?
• Do the listings run out at a particular day, or show yesterday's schedule?

What it suggests

If the last successful update is old, or refreshing does not change it, the update itself is failing: the address, the source or the connection to it. If the update time is recent but the listings are still old, the source may not be publishing current listings, or the player may still be showing stored data.

What it does not prove

There is no single correct refresh interval; players and sources differ, so judge by the last successful update rather than a fixed schedule.

6. “Updated successfully,” but the guide is still blank

A success message confirms that one step worked, often the download. A visible guide needs every later step as well:

1. The guide data downloaded.
2. The player read it without errors.
3. The guide's channels were matched to your playlist's channels.
4. The guide contains programmes for the days and times you are looking at.

What it suggests

With a confirmed download, the later steps become more likely: guide channel ids that do not match your playlist, or a guide with no programmes for the current period.

What it does not prove

The message cannot tell you which later step failed, and its wording differs between players. Treat it as proof that one step ran, not that the guide is usable.

7. The guide works in one player but not another

Compare the same channels, on the same device and connection if you can, in both players.

What it suggests

The guide data probably exists, so the difference more likely lies in the players: which guide source each one uses, how it matches channels, or what it has stored. Kodi's IPTV Simple Client, for example, documents that it matches the guide's channel id first and then falls back to channel names; other players can follow different rules.

What it does not prove

It narrows the search to player configuration, but it does not show which setting differs, and the working player is not necessarily showing the correct match.

Quick Reference: What Each Symptom Suggests

How Channel-ID Matching Works

In XMLTV guide data, every channel has a unique id, and every programme names the id of the channel it belongs to. The display name is there for people; the link between a programme and its channel is the id.

Your playlist carries its own identifier for each channel. In M3U playlists this is commonly a tvg-id attribute, which Kodi's IPTV Simple Client describes as the identifier used to map a channel to the XMLTV guide data. Here is a fictional example:

When the identifiers align, the player can attach the schedule to the channel. When they do not, the stream still plays, but its guide row stays empty or, if the player falls back to names, may pick up the wrong schedule. Small differences can matter: Kodi's IPTV Simple Client, for example, matches ids case-sensitively unless a setting tells it to ignore case.

Refresh, Restart, Clear: Work Up in Order

Quick, harmless steps come first; steps that remove settings come last.

1. Identify the symptom, using the sections above.
2. Refresh the guide from the player's own guide or EPG settings, and note the last-updated time.
3. Check the guide source and settings: the address, any time offset and any manual channel assignments.
4. Look at matching or time, depending on the symptom.
5. Restart the app, then the device, if the guide still looks stuck.
6. Clear the app's cache, where your device supports it. Players can also keep their own stored guide data; Kodi's IPTV Simple Client, for example, notes that its guide cache must be cleared for some guide changes to take effect.
7. Only then consider clearing the app's data or reinstalling it.

Clearing app data or reinstalling can remove settings, favourites and your playlist or guide configuration, depending on the player. Note what you have set up first. If you then need to set tereatv up again, follow the tereatv setup guide.

When the Guide Source or Service Side Becomes More Likely

A source-side cause becomes more likely when:

• The whole guide is empty or stale on several correctly set up devices or players.
• The same channels are missing guide data in every player you try.
• Guide updates keep failing even though the address is correct and the connection works.
• Listings stay old after you have refreshed, restarted and checked the time settings and the guide address.

Each of these makes a source-side cause more likely and worth reporting. None proves it on its own: a shared setting or the same playlist on every device could explain the same pattern.

What to Send Support

A specific report gets a faster answer. Before you get in touch, note:

• The device, and the player app's name.
• Whether the channels themselves play.
• Whether the problem affects all channels or only some, with a few example channel names.
• The exact symptom: “No Information,” the wrong programme, the wrong time or old listings.
• Roughly when you noticed it.
• Whether you refreshed the guide, and what the player showed as the last update.
• Whether another device or player shows the same problem.

Never post passwords, Xtream Codes login details, playlist or guide addresses that contain login details, MAC addresses, device keys or other account information publicly, for example in forums or comments.

tereatv customers can send these details to tereatv support on WhatsApp or through the contact page. For short questions about the service, see common tereatv questions.

Sources

• XMLTV DTD (xmltv.dtd) (XMLTV project)
• IPTV Simple Client for Kodi (Kodi PVR add-on documentation)