How to Update Existing Channel Information in the Free-TV IPTV Playlist

Edit the corresponding Markdown file in the lists/ directory, modify the pipe-separated table row containing the channel data, and run python3 make_playlist.py to regenerate the playlist.m3u8 file.

The Free-TV/IPTV repository generates its streaming playlists from human-readable Markdown files rather than manual XML manipulation. To update existing channel information in the IPTV playlist, you modify the source table entries in the lists/ directory and invoke the Python generator script to rebuild the consolidated output.

Understanding the Playlist Architecture

The repository uses a Markdown-to-M3U8 pipeline where channel data lives in country-specific files under lists/. The script make_playlist.py parses these files, instantiates Channel objects for each valid row, and writes the final playlist.m3u8 file that IPTV clients consume.

Each channel entry follows a pipe-separated table format. The generator only processes rows containing the [>] marker—indicating an active stream—and skips rows marked with [x].

Locating and Editing Channel Entries

File Structure

Country-specific channel lists reside in the lists/ directory (e.g., lists/usa.md, lists/uk.md). Each file contains a Markdown table where every row represents a single channel.

Table Format

The columns follow this structure:

Column	Content	Required
1st	Channel number (optional)	No
2nd	Display name (used for tvg-name)	Yes
3rd	Link in format [>](URL)	Yes
4th	Logo as <img height="20" src="URL"/>	Yes
5th	EPG ID (used for tvg-id)	No

Example entry from lists/usa.md:

| 1 | Buzzr Ⓖ | [>](https://buzzrota-ono.amagi.tv/playlist1080.m3u8) | <img height="20" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/.../Buzzr_logo.svg"/> | Buzzr.us |

Step-by-Step Update Process

Follow these steps to update existing channel information in the IPTV playlist:

1. Locate the source file – Identify the country file in lists/ containing the channel (e.g., lists/usa.md for US channels).

2. Find the channel row – Search for the channel name in the table. Each row uses pipe characters (|) as delimiters.

3. Modify the fields – Update the URL inside the [>](...) parentheses, change the logo src attribute, or adjust the EPG ID in the final column.

4. Preserve the marker – Keep [>] to include the channel in the playlist. If the stream is broken, change it to [x] to exclude it from generation.

5. Regenerate the playlist – Run the generator script:

   python3 make_playlist.py

6. Verify the output – Check playlist.m3u8 or the per-country files under playlists/ to confirm the changes reflect correctly.

Practical Update Examples

Updating a Stream URL

If a channel moves to a new endpoint, edit the URL within the parentheses:

- | 1 | Buzzr Ⓖ | [>](https://buzzrota-ono.amagi.tv/playlist1080.m3u8) | <img height="20" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/.../Buzzr_logo.svg"/> | Buzzr.us |
+ | 1 | Buzzr Ⓖ | [>](https://new-buzzr.example.com/playlist.m3u8) | <img height="20" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/.../Buzzr_logo.svg"/> | Buzzr.us |

After saving, run python3 make_playlist.py to update the playlist.m3u8.

Marking Channels as Invalid

When a stream goes offline, replace [>] with [x]:

- | 2 | Retro TV | [>](https://bcovlive-a.akamaihd.net/...) | <img height="20" src="https://i.imgur.com/PNTYOgg.png" /> | RetroTVEast.us |
+ | 2 | Retro TV | [x]() | <img height="20" src="https://i.imgur.com/PNTYOgg.png" /> | RetroTVEast.us |

The script skips [x] rows during generation, effectively removing them from the output.

Adding EPG Identifiers

To add electronic program guide data, append the EPG ID as the sixth column:

- | 3 | Stadium | [>](https://bcovlive-a.akamaihd.net/...) | <img height="30" src="https://i.imgur.com/6ae9E8d.png"/> |
+ | 3 | Stadium | [>](https://bcovlive-a.akamaihd.net/...) | <img height="30" src="https://i.imgur.com/6ae9E8d.png"/> | StadiumEPG123 |

This populates the tvg-id="StadiumEPG123" attribute in the generated M3U.

How the Generator Processes Changes

The make_playlist.py script implements the transformation logic. When you run the generator:

• Parsing – The Channel class __init__ method (lines 94-104) splits each Markdown line on | characters and extracts fields.
• URL extraction – The script strips parentheses from the link column using self.url = self.url[self.url.find("(")+1:self.url.rfind(")")].
• M3U generation – The to_m3u_line() method (lines 15-20) constructs the #EXTINF line with tvg-name, tvg-id, and tvg-country attributes.
• Country codes – The COUNTRY_CODES dictionary (lines 6-91) maps country names to ISO codes for the tvg-country attribute.
• EPG headers – The script references epglist.txt (lines 31-35) to include EPG URLs in the M3U header.

The final output combines all active channels into playlist.m3u8 (lines 36-59) while filtering out any entries marked with [x].

Summary

• Source files – Channel data lives in lists/*.md as Markdown tables.
• Update method – Edit the pipe-separated row in the appropriate country file, preserving the [>] marker for active streams.
• Regeneration – Run python3 make_playlist.py to parse changes and rebuild playlist.m3u8.
• Invalid streams – Use [x] instead of [>] to exclude broken channels without deleting data.
• Implementation – The Channel class in make_playlist.py handles parsing and M3U line generation via to_m3u_line().

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I remove the [>] marker entirely?

If you remove the [>] marker without replacing it with [x], the row will likely fail validation or be skipped. The generator specifically looks for [>] to identify active streams. To disable a channel, use [x] as shown in the examples above.

Can I update multiple channels before running the generator?

Yes. You can edit multiple rows across different lists/*.md files before running python3 make_playlist.py. The script processes all country files in a single execution, so batch updates are efficient and encouraged for maintaining the playlist.

Do I need to restart IPTV clients after updating the playlist?

Most IPTV clients load the M3U8 file at startup or on a refresh interval. Simply updating playlist.m3u8 on disk does not automatically push changes to active clients. You must either restart the client application or trigger a playlist refresh in the client's settings to see the updated channel information.

Where is the EPG data configured in the repository?

The EPG URLs are defined in epglist.txt, which the generator reads to populate the url-tvg attribute in the M3U header (lines 31-35 of make_playlist.py). Individual channel EPG IDs are set in the fifth column of the Markdown table rows, which the Channel class maps to the tvg-id attribute in the output.

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