When the Kodi guide stays empty, the cause is usually the EPG location in PVR IPTV Simple Client, an ID that does not match the playlist, or stale PVR data. These fixes are written for Kodi 21 "Omega", the stable release at the time of writing. Menu names shift slightly between versions.
Quick answer: Open the add-on's settings, confirm the EPG location is set and correct, restart Kodi, then clear PVR data under Settings > PVR & Live TV > General. If the guide is still empty, check that the channel IDs in the playlist match the XMLTV file.
1. Is the EPG path set?
- Go to Add-ons > My add-ons > PVR clients > PVR IPTV Simple Client and choose Configure.
- Open your configuration. On Kodi 20 and later you may need to Add add-on configuration first.
- Go to the EPG settings tab. Set Location to Remote path (or Local path for a file on the device) and enter the guide address, for example
https://example.com/guide.xml. Compressed.xml.gzguides are supported. - Leave the EPG time shift at 0 unless the guide's times are from a different time zone. See EPG showing the wrong time for that case.
- Press OK.
2. Restart Kodi
The add-on only reloads its settings when Kodi restarts or the add-on is disabled and re-enabled. Close Kodi fully (not just back to the home screen) and reopen it, then wait. A big guide can take a few minutes to load after the channels appear.
3. Do the IDs match?
The add-on matches channels to guide entries by ID, and IDs are case-sensitive. The playlist's tvg-id="ExampleNewsHD.uk" has to equal the XMLTV <channel id="ExampleNewsHD.uk"> exactly, so examplenewshd.uk will not match. If some channels have a guide and others don't, this is the likely culprit. Our EPG and XMLTV guide shows how to compare the two files.
4. Clear the PVR data
Old or corrupted guide data can stay in Kodi's database and stop new data showing.
- Go to Settings > PVR & Live TV > General.
- Choose Clear data and confirm. This wipes the cached channels and guide, not the add-on configuration.
- Restart Kodi and let everything reload.
5. Check the XMLTV file itself
If a computer can open the guide address, check:
- It is genuine XML and not an error page or an empty file.
- It contains the channel IDs you expect.
- It has programmes for today (the file may have run out of data).
Do not post the address, as it may be tied to your account.
If that didn't work
Before asking for help, note your Kodi version, device, whether channels load, whether the fault is all channels or some, and what the add-on's log says if you can read it (Settings > System > Logging, with debug logging on temporarily). Strip addresses and logins from anything you share. The Kodi beginner's guide covers the full add-on setup.
Say which Kodi version and device you're on, and which of these steps cleared it for you.