Programmes on one channel overlap
Two programmes claim the same air time, so the guide shows two things at once.
What it means
On at least one channel, a programme starts before the previous one has stopped, so two entries claim part of the same period on the same channel.
Why it matters
Clients cannot show both. Which one wins is undefined, so "what is on now" may return the wrong programme and recordings can be scheduled against the wrong entry. Overlaps often indicate two source feeds merged without reconciling their schedules.
How to fix it
- Make each programme’s stop equal the next one’s start.
- If merging feeds, decide which is authoritative per channel rather than concatenating both.
- Check that timezone offsets are consistent — a one-hour overlap repeating across a channel usually means two feeds with different offsets.
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 "Programmes on one channel overlap" mean?
- On at least one channel, a programme starts before the previous one has stopped, so two entries claim part of the same period on the same channel.
- Why does it matter?
- Clients cannot show both. Which one wins is undefined, so "what is on now" may return the wrong programme and recordings can be scheduled against the wrong entry. Overlaps often indicate two source feeds merged without reconciling their schedules.
- How do I fix it?
- 1. Make each programme’s stop equal the next one’s start. 2. If merging feeds, decide which is authoritative per channel rather than concatenating both. 3. Check that timezone offsets are consistent — a one-hour overlap repeating across a channel usually means two feeds with different offsets.
- 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.