How to Install IPTV on Kodi with PVR IPTV Simple Client

Kodi is a free, open-source media center that runs on almost every platform — Windows, Mac, Android, Fire TV, Raspberry Pi, and more. It supports IPTV through its built-in PVR (Personal Video Recorder) system, which can load your IPTV subscription’s M3U playlist and display live channels alongside your local media library.

Here is how to set it up.

What you need

• Kodi installed on your device (download from kodi.tv — it is free)
• Your IPTV M3U URL (from your IPTVBROS welcome email)
• Optionally, your EPG/XMLTV URL for the programme guide

Step 1: Enable PVR IPTV Simple Client

PVR IPTV Simple Client is included with Kodi — no download needed. You just need to enable it.

1. Open Kodi
2. Go to Settings (gear icon) → Add-ons
3. Select My add-ons → PVR clients
4. Find PVR IPTV Simple Client and click on it
5. Click Enable

Step 2: Configure the M3U URL

1. With PVR IPTV Simple Client highlighted, click Configure
2. In the settings window, go to the General tab
3. Set Location to Remote Path (Internet Address)
4. In the M3U Play List URL field, paste your M3U URL from IPTVBROS
5. Click OK

Step 3: Add EPG data (optional but recommended)

The programme guide makes Kodi’s live TV much more useful:

1. In the PVR IPTV Simple Client settings, go to the EPG Settings tab
2. Set XMLTV URL to your EPG URL (provided in your welcome email)
3. Set the EPG time shift if needed to match your local time zone
4. Click OK

Step 4: Enable the PVR client and restart Kodi

After configuring the M3U URL:

1. You may see a prompt asking to enable the PVR client — click Yes (or Enable)
2. Kodi will ask to restart — click OK
3. After restart, Kodi loads your channel list in the background (1–5 minutes for large playlists)

Step 5: Access your live TV channels

Once channels are loaded:

1. From the Kodi main menu, select TV
2. Choose Channels to browse all channels
3. Select Guide to open the EPG programme grid
4. Press OK on any channel to start playback

The EPG guide in Kodi shows a standard grid layout — channels on the left, time slots across the top, exactly like a cable TV guide.

Navigating live TV in Kodi

• Channel switching: Use up/down arrows during playback
• Guide overlay: Press the Guide key (or Info button) while watching to see Now/Next information
• Full guide: Go to TV → Guide for the 7-day grid
• Recording: Kodi PVR supports recording to local storage if your device has enough space

Kodi vs TiviMate for IPTV

Kodi works, but dedicated IPTV apps are generally better for day-to-day use:

Kodi advantages:

• Combines IPTV with local media library (movies, music, photos)
• Runs on many more platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux, Raspberry Pi)
• Free with no in-app purchases required

TiviMate advantages:

• Significantly faster channel switching
• Better EPG interface with multi-day grid
• Dedicated favorites and group organization
• Built-in recording (Premium version)
• More intuitive for pure IPTV use

If you primarily use Kodi as a media center and want to add live TV, PVR IPTV Simple Client is a natural fit. If you want the best dedicated IPTV experience on Fire TV or Android TV, TiviMate is the better choice.

Troubleshooting Kodi IPTV

Channels not appearing after setup: Kodi takes a few minutes to load a large playlist. Wait 5–10 minutes after enabling the PVR client before concluding something is wrong.

“No PVR backend” error: The PVR IPTV Simple Client is not enabled. Go to Settings → Add-ons → My Add-ons → PVR Clients and confirm it shows as Enabled.

EPG not showing: Check that the XMLTV URL is correct and accessible. In Kodi settings, go to PVR & Live TV → Guide and try Clean data then Update now to force a fresh EPG download.

Buffering in Kodi: Go to Kodi Settings → Player and increase the Playback cache settings. Alternatively, install the “InputStream Adaptive” add-on, which handles adaptive bitrate IPTV streams better than Kodi’s default player.

See also: M3U Playlist Setup · TiviMate Guide · Free Trial

See also: Best IPTV Service · Free Trial · Pricing