Programme references an undeclared channel
A programme points at a channel id with no <channel> element, so it appears in no guide.
What it means
A <programme> element has a channel attribute that matches no declared <channel> id.
Why it matters
Clients index the guide by channel. A programme whose channel does not exist is dropped, so that content silently disappears — and if a whole channel’s programmes are orphaned, that channel shows an empty guide while the data is right there in the file.
How to fix it
- Add the missing <channel> element, or correct the channel attribute on the programmes.
- Ids are compared exactly, so check for case differences and stray whitespace.
- This often follows a rename on one side of a merge but not the other.
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 "Programme references an undeclared channel" mean?
- A <programme> element has a channel attribute that matches no declared <channel> id.
- Why does it matter?
- Clients index the guide by channel. A programme whose channel does not exist is dropped, so that content silently disappears — and if a whole channel’s programmes are orphaned, that channel shows an empty guide while the data is right there in the file.
- How do I fix it?
- 1. Add the missing <channel> element, or correct the channel attribute on the programmes. 2. Ids are compared exactly, so check for case differences and stray whitespace. 3. This often follows a rename on one side of a merge but not the other.
- 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 declares no channelsWithout <channel> elements there is nothing for a playlist to match against.