Add a TV guide (XMLTV) to your playlist

Why add a separate guide?

By default, Nipo Player shows the TV guide provided by your playlist, meaning the service that manages it. If that guide is missing, stops after a few hours, or doesn't cover all your channels, you can replace it with a separate XMLTV guide (an .xml or .xml.gz file), without changing playlist.

Does every playlist need this?

No. Most services already include a working guide with their playlist, matched to their own channels — you'll only need this if that guide is missing, incomplete, or you'd rather use one you trust more.

What is an XMLTV guide?

XMLTV is a standard format for describing a programme guide: a list of channels, and for each one, its programmes with a start and end time. Nipo Player matches it to your playlist by ID, in this order:

1. The tvg-id attribute of your M3U playlist is compared with the channel IDs in the guide.
2. If no tvg-id matches, Nipo falls back to the channel name (tvg-name).
3. If nothing matches, the channel still plays normally, simply without a programme shown in the guide.

Adding your XMLTV link, step by step

1. From the home screen, open TV Guide.
2. On phone or tablet, tap the Guide source button (settings icon) above the list; on TV and computer, this button sits next to the guide.
3. Paste your XMLTV guide's link, which must start with http:// or https://.
4. Confirm: the guide updates with the new schedule.

To go back to the guide provided by your playlist, leave the field empty and save.

Compressed files work too

A .xml.gz link is decompressed automatically by Nipo Player, even when the link doesn't clearly say so. No need to decompress it yourself before pasting it.

Where the guide shows up next

Once added, the new guide feeds both the TV Guide's time grid and the mini guide shown during playback (now, next, later). There's nothing else to do: the setting applies across the whole app, not just the screen where you typed it.

If the guide stops updating

An XMLTV guide is refreshed by whoever publishes it, not by Nipo Player. If the schedule looks stuck for several days, the source file is probably the cause: try a different link, or temporarily go back to the guide provided by your playlist by clearing the field.

Frequently asked questions

How many days does an XMLTV guide cover? That depends entirely on the guide used: some cover a week, others only the current day.

Can I use a guide in a different language than my playlist? Yes, as long as the channel IDs (tvg-id) or names match, the language of the titles doesn't matter for matching.

What happens if a channel has no programme in the guide? It still plays normally; only the programme panel stays empty, in the guide and in the player's mini guide.

Where to find an XMLTV link

Nipo Player supplies no channel and no playlist, and doesn't provide or recommend any guide either: like a playlist, this link comes from the service you chose on your own, or a source you manage yourself. We can't recommend a guide.

Go further

• XMLTV guide: structure and channel matching, the <channel> and <programme> tags in detail.
• Nipo Player's TV Guide, time grid, search and reminders.
• How do I add my own TV guide (XMLTV)? in the help center.