How to Add YouTube Live Channel Streams to the Free-TV IPTV Playlist

To add a YouTube live channel to the Free-TV IPTV playlist, edit the appropriate country markdown file in lists/<country>.md, add a table row with the channel name including the Ⓨ symbol, provide a [>](youtube-url) link, and run make_playlist.py to regenerate the master playlist.

The Free-TV/IPTV project aggregates publicly available television streams into a standardized M3U8 playlist format. Understanding how to add YouTube live channel streams to the IPTV playlist requires familiarity with the repository's markdown-driven workflow and the specific parsing logic implemented in the generation script.

How the Playlist Builder Works

The repository uses make_playlist.py to parse markdown files and compile the final playlist.m3u8. According to the Free-TV/IPTV source code, the script scans the lists/ directory for country-specific markdown files (e.g., lists/usa.md, lists/uk.md).

Inside these files, the extractor looks for table rows containing the [>] marker immediately preceding a Markdown link. Lines 55-57 of make_playlist.py specifically extract the URL from within the parentheses that follow this marker. The script treats any URL equally—whether it points to an HLS stream, MPEG-TS feed, or a YouTube live page—as long as it follows the [>](url) format.

Channels sourced from YouTube are identified by the Ⓨ symbol in the channel name, a convention documented in README.md lines 49-50. When the generator encounters this entry, it creates an #EXTINF line in the output playlist containing the channel metadata and the extracted YouTube URL.

Step-by-Step Guide to Adding YouTube Live Streams

Select the Correct Country File

Navigate to the lists/ directory and locate the markdown file corresponding to the channel's country or region. For example, use lists/usa.md for United States channels or lists/france.md for French channels. Each file contains a markdown table with the following columns: #, Channel, Link, Logo, and EPG id.

Format the Channel Entry

Add a new row to the table following these formatting rules:

• Channel: Include the Ⓨ symbol immediately after the name to indicate a YouTube live stream (e.g., Bloomberg Ⓨ).
• Link: Use the format [>](https://www.youtube.com/...) where the URL points to the channel's live page.
• Logo: Provide an <img> tag pointing to a publicly hosted image (e.g., Imgur).
• EPG id: Optionally include an Electronic Program Guide identifier, or leave empty.

Regenerate the Playlist

After saving your changes, commit them to the repository. The CI pipeline automatically executes make_playlist.py to rebuild playlist.m3u8. Alternatively, run the generator locally from the repository root:

./make_playlist.py

The script outputs progress messages for each country processed and writes the final playlist.m3u8 containing your new YouTube stream.

Practical Example: Adding a News Channel

Here is the exact markdown syntax for adding a YouTube live news channel to lists/usa.md:

| # | Channel         | Link                                           | Logo                                               | EPG id       |

|:--:|:----------------|:----------------------------------------------:|:--------------------------------------------------:|:------------:|
| 1 | Bloomberg Ⓨ     | [>](https://www.youtube.com/c/Bloomberg/live)  | <img height="20" src="https://i.imgur.com/XYZ.png"/> | Bloomberg.us |

When make_playlist.py processes this entry, it generates the following output in playlist.m3u8:

#EXTINF:-1 tvg-name="Bloomberg" tvg-logo="https://i.imgur.com/XYZ.png" group-title="News",Bloomberg
https://www.youtube.com/c/Bloomberg/live

Key Files and Their Roles

• make_playlist.py: The Python script that parses all markdown files in lists/ and compiles them into the master M3U8 playlist. It extracts URLs from the [>] marker pattern on lines 55-57.
• lists/<country>.md: Country-specific markdown files containing channel tables. Edit these files to add or modify YouTube live streams.
• README.md: Documents the Ⓨ convention for YouTube channels (lines 49-50) and overall project usage.
• playlist.m3u8: The generated master playlist consumed by IPTV players. This file is rebuilt automatically when make_playlist.py runs.

Summary

• Edit the appropriate lists/<country>.md file to add new channel entries.
• Append the Ⓨ symbol to the channel name to mark it as a YouTube live stream.
• Format the stream URL as [>](youtube-url) so the parser can extract it.
• Execute ./make_playlist.py to regenerate playlist.m3u8 with the new entries.
• The extraction logic in make_playlist.py (lines 55-57) handles YouTube URLs identically to other stream types.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Ⓨ symbol signify in channel names?

The Ⓨ symbol identifies streams originating from YouTube Live. According to README.md lines 49-50, this marker helps users and maintainers quickly distinguish YouTube-based channels from traditional HLS or MPEG-TS streams in the playlist.

Why must I use the [>] marker before the URL?

The make_playlist.py script specifically searches for the [>] pattern to identify valid stream links. Lines 55-57 of the script extract the URL from the parentheses immediately following this marker. Without this syntax, the generator will skip the entry and omit it from the final playlist.m3u8.

Can I add YouTube streams to any country's markdown file?

Yes. You should add the channel to the markdown file that corresponds to its geographic origin or primary audience (e.g., lists/germany.md for German channels). The make_playlist.py script processes all files in the lists/ directory regardless of stream type, creating a unified playlist.m3u8 containing all entries.

Does the playlist update automatically after I commit changes?

Yes. The Free-TV/IPTV repository runs make_playlist.py through its CI pipeline automatically upon commit. You can also run the script locally before committing to verify that your YouTube URL parses correctly and generates the expected #EXTINF output in playlist.m3u8.

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    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
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}