How to Add an M3U Playlist to Kodi with IPTV Simple Client (with EPG)

How live TV works in Kodi

Kodi does not open IPTV playlists in its video library. Live TV goes through PVR clients — add-ons that feed channels and the programme guide into Kodi's TV section. For an M3U playlist, the official add-on is PVR IPTV Simple Client, maintained by the Kodi team and available in the official repository. It supports:

• an M3U/M3U8 playlist from a URL or a local file;
• an XMLTV programme guide (EPG);
• channel logos and groups (tvg-logo, group-title);
• catch-up/replay when the source supports it.

This guide applies to recent Kodi versions (20 "Nexus" and later). Menus may be worded slightly differently between versions and skins, but the path is the same.

Before you start

Prepare:

• the playlist URL or file — for example the M3U link from your M3utify account;
• optionally the XMLTV guide URL (.xml or .xml.gz). If you use M3utify's Xtream endpoint, the guide is available at https://m3utify.com/xmltv.php?username=…&password=….

A filtered playlist with only the groups you watch makes Kodi much faster: the TV section has to index every channel and every programme. Clean it up first in the M3utify editor.

Step 1: Install PVR IPTV Simple Client

1. Open Kodi and go to Settings (the gear icon) → Add-ons.
2. Choose Install from repository → Kodi Add-on repository → PVR clients.
3. Select PVR IPTV Simple Client and click Install. Accept any dependencies Kodi proposes.

On some Linux distributions, the add-on is installed through the system package manager instead (package kodi-pvr-iptvsimple).

Step 2: Configure the playlist

1. From Settings → Add-ons → My add-ons → PVR clients, open PVR IPTV Simple Client and click Configure. Recent versions ask you to Add add-on configuration — this lets you set up several playlists side by side.
2. In the General tab, set Location to:
   • Remote path (Internet address) and paste the URL in M3U play list URL, or
   • Local path (include local network) and select the file.
3. Leave Cache M3U at local storage enabled for remote playlists; Kodi will reload it at start-up.
4. Confirm with OK.

Step 3: Configure the programme guide (EPG)

1. Open the EPG tab of the same configuration.
2. Set Location to Remote path and paste the XMLTV URL in XMLTV URL (or select a local file).
3. If programmes are shifted by an hour or more, adjust EPG time shift here — or fix individual channels with tvg-shift in the playlist (see fix an EPG time offset).

If your playlist header already contains x-tvg-url="…", IPTV Simple Client can use it, but entering the guide URL explicitly is more reliable.

Step 4: Logos and groups

In the Channel logos tab, keep the logo source on remote paths if your playlist uses tvg-logo URLs, and choose whether playlist logos or guide logos take priority. Groups from group-title appear as channel groups in the TV section, where you can pick which ones to show.

Step 5: Restart and open the TV section

Restart Kodi (or disable and re-enable the add-on). A notification shows the channels and programmes being loaded. Then open TV from the main menu: you get the channel list, the guide grid and the groups. The first EPG import can take a few minutes on a large guide.

Recommended settings

• Settings → PVR & Live TV → Guide: reduce Days to display in the guide to 3–4 on low-power devices.
• Player → Videos: keep hardware acceleration enabled (on Android: MediaCodec), which handles HD and H.265 streams far better.

If you use M3utify's Kodi export, the playlist includes #EXTVLCOPT options tuned for buffering with IPTV Simple Client.

Troubleshooting

"No channels loaded" or an empty TV section

The playlist URL is wrong or unreachable from the Kodi device. Open the URL in a browser on the same network: you should see a text file starting with #EXTM3U. Also check that the add-on is enabled.

The channels load but the guide stays empty

The tvg-id values do not match the guide's channel ids, or the guide URL is wrong. Check the EPG URL first, then the matching — our EPG integration guide explains both. Clearing the guide data (Settings → PVR & Live TV → General → Clear data) forces a full reload.

Changes to the playlist do not appear

Kodi caches the playlist. Restart Kodi, or set a refresh interval in the add-on's General tab. As a last resort, Clear data in the PVR settings.

Streams buffer or stop

See how to fix IPTV buffering. In Kodi, also try the Kodi-optimised export and make sure hardware acceleration is on.

FAQ

Is PVR IPTV Simple Client legal?

Yes. It is an official, open-source add-on from the Kodi repository. As with any player, legality depends on the streams in your playlist — see legal IPTV sources.

Can I add several playlists?

Yes. Recent versions support several add-on configurations, each with its own playlist and guide.

Should I install third-party Kodi add-ons for IPTV?

Avoid unofficial repositories: they are a frequent source of malware and of illegal content. IPTV Simple Client from the official repository is all you need for an M3U playlist.