Guide declares no channels
Without <channel> elements there is nothing for a playlist to match against.
What it means
The guide contains no <channel> elements — only programmes, or nothing at all. Channel elements are what carry the ids, names and icons that everything else refers to.
Why it matters
Channel elements are what carry the ids a playlist matches by tvg-id, along with display names and icons. Without them, no playlist entry can be linked to any programme, so the guide is unusable even if it is full of programme data.
How to fix it
- Emit a <channel id="..."> element for every channel before its programmes.
- The id must match the tvg-id in your playlist exactly.
- Give each one at least one <display-name>.
Check your own stream
The free EPG checker runs this check on every analysis and links each finding straight back here.
Open the EPG checker →Frequently asked questions
- What does "Guide declares no channels" mean?
- The guide contains no <channel> elements — only programmes, or nothing at all. Channel elements are what carry the ids, names and icons that everything else refers to.
- Why does it matter?
- Channel elements are what carry the ids a playlist matches by tvg-id, along with display names and icons. Without them, no playlist entry can be linked to any programme, so the guide is unusable even if it is full of programme data.
- How do I fix it?
- 1. Emit a <channel id="..."> element for every channel before its programmes. 2. The id must match the tvg-id in your playlist exactly. 3. Give each one at least one <display-name>.
- How can I detect this automatically?
- Paste your XMLTV programme guides URL into StreamTest's free EPG checker. It runs this check on every analysis, flags the finding, and links straight back to this page — no sign-up required.
Related Programme guides checks
- XMLTV timestamps have no UTC offsetTimestamps without an explicit offset are ambiguous, and are the usual cause of a guide that appears shifted by whole hours.
- XMLTV guide has holes in a channel scheduleConsecutive programmes do not join up, leaving blank stretches in the guide.
- XMLTV guide does not extend far enough aheadThe guide runs out within hours, so viewers lose programme information partway through the day.
- The guide is not well-formed XMLThe document could not be parsed as XML, so nothing else could be checked.
- The document has no <tv> root elementThe XML parsed, but its root is not <tv>, so it is not an XMLTV guide.
- Guide contains no programmesChannels are declared but there is no schedule, so viewers see an empty guide.