How to Set Up IPTV on Kodi
with PVR IPTV Simple Client

Kodi is one of the most powerful media centres you can install — and with a couple of settings it becomes a full live-TV player too. Setting up IPTV on Kodi uses the built-in PVR IPTV Simple Client add-on, which turns your provider's playlist into a clean live-TV experience with a full EPG. This 2026 guide walks you through enabling the add-on, adding your M3U or Xtream Codes details, loading the TV guide and fixing buffering — on Firestick, Android, PC and more.

IPTV on Kodi, explained

Kodi is a free, open-source media centre. On its own it doesn't include live channels, but its built-in PVR IPTV Simple Client add-on lets you plug in an IPTV subscription and watch live TV with a proper EPG. That's what makes watching IPTV on Kodi so popular — one free app, on almost any device, with your channels and guide in one place.

Under the hood, Kodi treats live TV like any other media source through a PVR (Personal Video Recorder) back-end. PVR IPTV Simple Client is that back-end: you hand it a playlist and it builds a channel list, sorts channels into groups and overlays a programme guide. Because the add-on ships with every recent Kodi build, setting up IPTV on Kodi rarely means installing anything extra — you simply enable the client and point it at your subscription.

You'll connect your service in one of two ways. An M3U playlist is a single link that contains every channel; it's quick to paste and works everywhere. Xtream Codes uses a server URL plus a username and password, and it usually pulls channel categories and the EPG more cleanly. Either way you'll also want an XMLTV (EPG) URL so Kodi can show what's on now and next. We set up all three below, step by step.

Which devices does Kodi work on?

One of Kodi's biggest strengths is how widely it runs, so you can set up IPTV on Kodi on almost anything:

On a PC or Mac Kodi is the easiest to configure because you can type URLs with a real keyboard. On a Firestick or Android TV box it's a living-room favourite — install Kodi from the store or sideload the APK, then follow the same steps. On Android phones and tablets everything works identically, and on a Raspberry Pi the dedicated LibreELEC/CoreELEC images turn a tiny board into a full IPTV on Kodi box. The one exception is Apple: on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV, Kodi isn't on the App Store and has to be sideloaded, so many Apple users pick a native player instead.

Prefer the IPTV Smarters Pro app over Kodi on those devices? We have step-by-step guides for Firestick, Android TV, Smart TV (Samsung & LG) and Windows. If you want a simpler, dedicated live-TV app, compare Kodi with our TiviMate setup guide.

How to install Kodi (if you haven't already)

If Kodi isn't on your device yet, install it first — it only takes a minute and it's free from the official Kodi download page. Always grab Kodi from kodi.tv or your device's official store; copies from random sites can be tampered with.

• Windows / macOS / Linux — download the installer from kodi.tv and run it like any other app.
• Android & Android TV boxes — install Kodi from the Google Play Store, or sideload the official APK on devices without Play.
• Firestick / Fire TV — enable Apps from Unknown Sources, then sideload the Kodi APK with the Downloader app (there's no Kodi listing in the Amazon store).
• Raspberry Pi — flash a LibreELEC or CoreELEC image, which boots straight into Kodi.

Once Kodi opens on the home screen, you're ready to set up IPTV on Kodi with the steps below.

Before you start

• Kodi installed on your device (Kodi 20 Nexus or newer; Kodi 21 Omega+ recommended) from the official Kodi site.
• A stable connection of 25 Mbps or faster (50 Mbps+ for 4K).
• Your IPTV login — an M3U URL or Xtream Codes from your provider, plus an EPG (XMLTV) URL.

It's worth checking your Kodi version first. Open Settings → System Information: you want Kodi 20 (Nexus) at a minimum, and Kodi 21 (Omega) or newer is best in 2026 for its improved PVR engine and smoother H.265/HEVC 4K playback. A wired Ethernet connection is ideal for live sport, but a strong 5 GHz Wi-Fi signal is fine for most channels.

Step 1: Enable PVR IPTV Simple Client

1. Open Add-ons

   From the Kodi home screen go to Settings (gear) → Add-ons → My add-ons.

2. Find the PVR client

   Open PVR clients → PVR IPTV Simple Client.

3. Enable it

   Select Enable, then choose Configure to add your playlist.

Step 2 (Method A): Add an M3U playlist

1. Open the General tab

   In the add-on's Configure screen, open General.

2. Set the location

   Set Location to Remote path (Internet address).

3. Paste your M3U URL

   In M3U Playlist URL, paste the M3U link your provider emailed you.

4. Save

   Click OK — Kodi loads your channels.

Step 2 (Method B): Add Xtream Codes

Prefer Xtream Codes? Newer versions of PVR IPTV Simple Client support Xtream Codes directly, which usually loads categories and the EPG more reliably than a plain M3U link. It's the method we recommend when your provider offers it, because it keeps everything — live channels, groups and the guide — neatly in sync:

1. Open the General tab

   In Configure → General, set the connection type to Xtream Codes (where available).

2. Enter your details

   Add your server URL, username and password.

3. Save

   Click OK and your channels, categories and EPG load automatically.

Step 3: Set up the EPG (TV guide)

A TV guide makes Kodi far nicer to use. In the add-on's Configure screen open EPG Settings, set the location to Remote path, and paste your provider's XMLTV EPG URL. Save and the guide populates within a minute.

A good EPG turns a plain channel list into a proper TV experience: you get a scrollable now-and-next grid, programme descriptions, and the ability to see what's coming up later tonight. If your times look an hour or two off, it's almost always a time-zone mismatch — open EPG Settings and adjust the EPG time shift until the guide matches your local schedule. If the guide is empty, double-check that the XMLTV URL is correct and that it's set to Remote path rather than a local file.

Step 4: Watch live TV

Head back to the Kodi home screen and you'll see a new TV menu. Open it to browse channels, groups and the EPG — your IPTV on Kodi setup is complete. If prompted to restart the add-on, do so to finish loading.

The first time you open the TV menu, give Kodi a few seconds to finish importing your channels and guide — big playlists with tens of thousands of channels can take a moment. From here you can press up or down to change channel, left or right to peek at the EPG, and the info button to see what's on now and next. Live sport, news, movies and international channels all play from the same list, and you can switch between them instantly. That's the whole appeal of IPTV on Kodi: one tidy interface for everything you want to watch.

Organise channels, groups and favourites

Once your channels load, a little housekeeping makes IPTV on Kodi much nicer to live with. Open the TV menu, highlight any channel and press the context/menu button to reach the PVR options:

• Groups — most playlists arrive pre-sorted into groups such as Sports, Movies, News and 4K. Use the group filter at the top of the guide to jump straight to what you want.
• Favourites — mark the channels you watch most so they sit at the top of your list.
• Hide & reorder — go to Settings → PVR & Live TV → General → Channel Manager to hide channels you never use and reorder the rest.
• Search — the EPG has a built-in search tool, handy for finding a specific match or film across thousands of channels.

These tweaks are saved inside Kodi, so they stay put even when your provider refreshes the playlist in the background.

How to refresh or update your channels on Kodi

IPTV providers add and remove channels regularly, so now and then your Kodi list can fall out of date. You don't need to start over — just force a refresh:

1. Open PVR settings

   Go to Settings → PVR & Live TV → Guide / General.

2. Clear the data

   Choose Clear data (or Reset the PVR database) so Kodi drops the old channel and guide cache.

3. Reload the add-on

   Disable and re-enable PVR IPTV Simple Client, or simply restart Kodi. It re-downloads your M3U / Xtream Codes and rebuilds the list.

Because the playlist lives with your provider, you rarely have to touch the URL again — a quick refresh is all it takes to pull in the latest channels and EPG for your IPTV on Kodi setup.

Video guide: IPTV on Kodi

Prefer to watch instead of read? This short video walks through setting up IPTV on Kodi with PVR IPTV Simple Client:

M3U vs Xtream Codes on Kodi: which should you use?

Both connection methods feed the same PVR IPTV Simple Client, so you can't really go wrong — but they behave a little differently:

Our advice: if your provider gives you Xtream Codes, use them for the tidiest categories and guide. If you only have an M3U link, that's completely fine for live TV on Kodi — just remember to add the EPG URL yourself in Step 3.

Best settings for smooth playback

• Cache / buffer — on lower-powered devices, a small advancedsettings.xml cache tweak reduces stutter.
• Hardware decoding — keep it enabled under Player settings for smooth 4K.
• Keep Kodi updated — newer versions improve PVR stability.
• Wired connection — Ethernet gives the most stable live TV, especially for sport.

Two settings matter most. Under Settings → Player → Videos, keep hardware acceleration (DXVA / MediaCodec) switched on so your device's chip decodes 4K instead of the CPU — this alone fixes most stutter on Firesticks and cheaper boxes. If you still see buffering on a slow line, a small cache file tells Kodi to read further ahead before it plays.

Create a file called advancedsettings.xml in Kodi's userdata folder with a cache block like this:

<advancedsettings>
  <network>
    <buffermode>1</buffermode>
    <cachemembuffersize>157286400</cachemembuffersize>
    <readbufferfactor>4</readbufferfactor>
  </network>
</advancedsettings>

That reserves roughly 150 MB of buffer and reads ahead faster. Restart Kodi to apply it. Don't set the buffer larger than about a third of your device's free RAM, or playback can actually get worse.

Troubleshooting IPTV on Kodi

When something breaks, work from the outside in: confirm your subscription is still active, test the same M3U or Xtream Codes in a browser or another player, then re-check the URL inside Kodi for a stray space or typo. Nine times out of ten a "Kodi problem" is really an expired plan or a mistyped link. If channels play elsewhere but not in Kodi, the culprit is usually decoding — update Kodi and make sure hardware acceleration is on.

Is IPTV on Kodi legal?

Kodi itself is 100% legal — it's open-source software with no channels built in, and PVR IPTV Simple Client is legal too. What matters is the subscription you load into it: a properly licensed IPTV service is fine, while unofficial "free" playlists that rebroadcast pay-TV are not. To stay on the right side of the line, use a legitimate provider and avoid pirate add-ons. For a plain-English rundown of the rules, see our guide on whether IPTV is legal in Australia.

Kodi vs TiviMate vs IPTV Smarters Pro

Kodi is the most flexible option, but it isn't the only way to watch. Here's how the three most popular choices compare:

If you love tinkering and want one app for live TV, movies and music, IPTV on Kodi is hard to beat. If you just want the fastest, cleanest live-TV grid, TiviMate or IPTV Smarters Pro may suit you better. The good news: the same IPTV subscription works across all of them.

Related IPTV guides

Keep exploring — these guides pair perfectly with your Kodi setup:

Frequently asked questions

Can I watch IPTV on Kodi?

Yes — Kodi plays IPTV through the built-in PVR IPTV Simple Client add-on. Add your M3U or Xtream Codes and an EPG URL, then watch under the TV menu.

Is Kodi free?

Yes, Kodi is a free open-source media centre. You still need an active IPTV subscription to load channels and an EPG.

What devices does Kodi work on?

Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, Android TV, Firestick, Raspberry Pi and more. On iPhone and Apple TV it must be sideloaded.

M3U or Xtream Codes on Kodi — which is better?

Both work with PVR IPTV Simple Client. Xtream Codes usually loads categories and EPG more reliably; an M3U URL is quick to set up.

Why does IPTV keep buffering on Kodi?

Usually a slow connection or an overloaded server. Use 25 Mbps or faster and choose a provider with stable anti-freeze servers.

Do I need to install PVR IPTV Simple Client on Kodi?

Usually no — it comes bundled with Kodi 19+ and just needs enabling under My add-ons → PVR clients. If it's missing, install it from the Kodi Add-on repository → PVR clients.

How do I add an EPG (TV guide) to IPTV on Kodi?

In PVR IPTV Simple Client → Configure → EPG Settings, set the location to Remote path and paste your provider's XMLTV URL. Save and the guide fills in within a minute.

Can I watch IPTV on Kodi on a Firestick?

Yes. Install Kodi on your Firestick, enable PVR IPTV Simple Client and add your playlist exactly as on any other device. Keep hardware decoding on for smooth 4K.

Why is there no TV menu after setup?

The PVR back-end isn't active yet. Make sure PVR IPTV Simple Client is enabled, that your playlist saved, and restart Kodi so the TV menu appears on the home screen.

Does IPTV on Kodi include movies and series?

PVR IPTV Simple Client focuses on live channels. For on-demand movies and series, use a provider that offers VOD via Xtream Codes, or a dedicated app like IPTV Smarters Pro.