Blog · 25 October 2026
Why EPG times are wrong in your IPTV player (and how to fix them)
Programmes one hour early or late, or a whole channel shifted by hours: the usual causes (time zone, daylight saving, +1 and timeshift channels) and the fixes.
The guide shows the right programmes, but at the wrong time: the news starts an hour before the guide says, or a whole channel is shifted by several hours. This almost never means the guide is broken. It is nearly always one of four causes.
1. The device time zone
XMLTV times include their offset from UTC, and the player converts them to the device's time zone. If the TV box is set to the wrong time zone, or to "UTC" by default, every channel is off by the same amount. Check the time zone in the system settings of the box (not only in the player), then restart the player.
2. Daylight saving changes
In the days around the clock change in spring and autumn, a box whose clock is set manually, or an old firmware, can show everything one hour off. Set the clock to automatic network time.
3. The player's EPG offset setting
Most players have a "time shift" or "EPG offset" option for the guide. It is meant for guides that are wrong, but it is easy to change by mistake. If a correct guide looks shifted, set this option back to 0. In TiviMate it is in the settings of the EPG source.
4. +1, +2 and timeshift channels
Many playlists include delayed copies of a channel ("+1", "+2", "+6H"). A guide that gives them the schedule of the original channel is wrong by exactly that delay. A good guide shifts these channels by the delay written in their name. EPG Full does this automatically for the names your provider uses.
Different time on one channel only?
Then the source schedule itself may differ from the feed, for example when your stream comes from another country's version of the channel, with its own times. Compare with the channel's official website. If the official schedule matches the guide, the stream is the one that differs.
Overnight sports channels
Sports broadcasters often change their night-time replays at the last minute. Live events usually match the published schedule, while replays between them can differ from what the broadcaster announced. No guide can know about changes that were never published.
A guide that matches your provider
EPG Full builds the guide from your IPTV provider's own channel list every hour, with logos. Try it free for 2 days.
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