What Is an EPG? Electronic Program Guides, Explained
What is an EPG? An electronic program guide lists what airs on each channel and when. Learn how EPG data flows via XMLTV and why it drives discoverability.
An EPG (electronic program guide) is the on-screen schedule grid that shows what is airing on each channel now and next. Channels run down one axis, time runs across the other, and each cell holds a program title, description, and airtime. Every linear TV service has one, from cable boxes to FAST apps, and for a streaming channel the EPG is powered by a structured metadata feed the channel supplies.
For a FAST channel operator, the EPG is not decoration. It is the primary way viewers decide whether to tune in, and the feed behind it is a hard technical requirement on every distribution platform. This guide covers what the guide data contains, how it flows from your schedule to the viewer's screen, and why the metadata quality decides your discoverability.
What data does an EPG contain?
An EPG entry is a small bundle of metadata per program airing. The core fields repeat across every platform:
| Field | What it holds | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Channel info | Channel name, ID, number, logo | How viewers find you in the grid |
| Start and stop times | Exact airtime per program, with timezone | The grid layout itself; errors break the guide |
| Title | Program name as displayed | The first thing a scanning viewer reads |
| Description | One to two sentences on the program | The tune-in pitch; often truncated, so front-load it |
| Genre or category | News, sports, comedy, and similar tags | Powers filtering, search, and recommendations |
| Artwork | Program and episode images | Grids increasingly show thumbnails, not just text |
| Episode metadata | Season, episode number, ratings | Series navigation and parental controls |
Two details cause most real-world guide bugs: timezones and durations. Guide times must align exactly with what the stream actually plays, or viewers click a title and land in a different show.
How does EPG data flow from a channel to a TV screen?
Guide data travels as a feed, separate from the video stream, and both must stay in sync. The pipeline has four steps:
- The channel builds a schedule. A playout system arranges programs on a timeline; see 24/7 scheduling and playout.
- The schedule is exported as a feed. The most common format is XMLTV, an XML document listing channels and programs with start and stop times. Platforms may instead require JSON schedules or Gracenote IDs, but the shape is the same.
- The platform ingests the feed. Distributors pull the feed on a schedule, often every few hours, and validate it: no gaps, no overlaps, correct timezones, artwork present.
- Apps render the grid. The TV app draws the guide from the ingested data and points each channel row at the live stream.
Because ingestion is periodic, most platforms want feeds covering at least 72 hours ahead. Last-minute schedule changes may not reach every guide, which is why operators lock schedules a few days out. The full pipeline, formats, and platform requirements are covered in EPG generation for FAST channels.
Why does EPG metadata decide your discoverability?
On a FAST platform, the guide is the storefront. Gracenote counted roughly 1,850 FAST channels globally in August 2025, up 76 percent since 2023. A viewer scrolling that wall of channels gives each row a second or two. Your title and description do the selling before your video gets a chance.
Metadata also feeds machines, not just eyes. Platform search, genre filters, and recommendation rows all run on your EPG fields. A channel with vague titles ("Episode 12") and empty genre tags is invisible to search and unpromotable by the platform. Specific titles, tight descriptions, and accurate categories are cheap wins that compound. Guide terminology and the rest of the FAST vocabulary live in the FAST TV glossary.
There is a business reason to care too: the guide drives tune-ins, tune-ins drive ad impressions, and impressions are the revenue line. A better EPG is an ad fill and revenue input, not just cosmetics.
Do you have to build EPG feeds yourself?
Only if you distribute directly to platforms, and even then most operators generate feeds from their playout system rather than by hand. On Vidiyo, the EPG is automatic: you upload videos and arrange the schedule, and the platform generates the program guide alongside transcoding, playout, and ad insertion. Viewers see your lineup in the program guide and can watch in a browser without an account.
Quick answers
What does EPG stand for? Electronic program guide: the interactive on-screen schedule showing what airs on each channel now and later.
What is XMLTV? XMLTV is a widely used XML file format for program guide data. It lists channels and programs with start times, stop times, descriptions, and artwork, and many FAST platforms accept or produce it.
How far ahead should an EPG feed go? Most distribution platforms want at least 72 hours of forward schedule, and many prefer 7 to 14 days. Check each platform's ingestion rules.
Why does my guide show the wrong program? Almost always a sync issue: the feed's start times drifted from actual playout, or a timezone offset is wrong in the feed.
What's next
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