Where a wrong time comes from
| Source | Typical symptom | Where to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Device clock and time zone | Every channel out by the same amount, often exactly an hour | The device’s date and time settings |
| Player EPG offset | Every channel out by the amount set in the app | The player’s guide or EPG settings |
Playlist shift (tvg-shift) | Every channel, or specific channels, out by whole hours | The playlist, or your provider |
| The guide data itself | Some channels out, by different amounts | The guide source, or your provider |
Fix it in this order
Set the device clock to automatic
In the device’s date and time settings, turn on automatic date and time, and check the time zone is correct (for the UK, London; it switches between GMT and BST automatically). A wrong time zone or a manual clock is the most common cause of a guide that’s exactly an hour out.
Set any EPG offset in the player to zero
Many players have an EPG time offset, time shift or guide shift setting. If someone set it to correct the guide in the past, it now adds the error back. Set it to 0.
Check the playlist for tvg-shift
M3U playlists can carry a tvg-shift value, in hours, either on the #EXTM3U line for all channels or on an individual channel’s #EXTINF line. A wrong value moves the guide for every channel it applies to. If you edit your own playlist, remove or correct it; otherwise ask your provider. See how to edit an IPTV playlist.
Refresh the guide
Clear the guide data or run a guide update in the player, then check again. Some players only apply offset changes after a refresh.
After the clocks change
Twice a year, a guide that was right can suddenly be an hour out. That happens when:
- the device’s time zone doesn’t apply daylight saving, or the clock was set manually; or
- a fixed offset was added in the player or playlist to correct the guide in one season.
The lasting fix is automatic time with the right time zone and no manual offsets, so the device handles the change itself.
Watching from another country
If you travel or live in another time zone, the guide should follow your device’s local time. Set the device to the local time zone automatically rather than adding an offset in the player. Programmes will then show at the right local time, even though the channel is broadcast from another country.
If only some channels are wrong
When most of the guide is right and a few channels are out, the problem is the guide data for those channels or a per-channel shift. Check whether they come from a different guide source, and see EPG not available for some channels. A wrong guide time also breaks catch-up, because the player requests the archive for the wrong slot; see IPTV catch-up.