French IPTV setups have a specific EPG problem: most international XMLTV feeds either skip French channels entirely, or only cover the top 5 (TF1, France 2, France 3, M6, Arte). For a real French TV experience — TNT, sport, premium channels — you need to combine 2 or 3 sources. Here are the 7 free XMLTV feeds we test against weekly inside OneTV Connect, with notes on coverage and refresh frequency.
Why French IPTV needs a dedicated EPG
Free generic XMLTV providers (epg.best, iptv-org, ontvtonight) usually miss French regional channels and have stale data on French sport (RMC Sport, beIN, L'Équipe). For a guide that actually shows the right match on the right channel at the right time, you'll want a dedicated French source plus a fallback for niche channels.
7 free XMLTV sources we test
- xmltvfr.fr — The reference for French TNT + cable. Covers TF1, France TV, M6, Arte, C8, W9, TMC, NRJ12, RMC Story. Refresh: every 6h. Format: gzipped XMLTV. Coverage: 100+ channels.
- iptv-org / epg / France — Open-source, GitHub-hosted, refreshed daily. Covers about 80 French channels including some sport. Best as a fallback when xmltvfr is down.
- tvspielfilm.de — German source that includes French chains broadcasting in Germany (TV5MONDE, Arte). Useful if you watch French expat channels.
- epgshare01 / FR — Community-maintained, good coverage of French regional channels (France 3 Régions, BFM TV régions). Refresh: 12h.
- schedulesdirect.org (paid $25/year) — The industry standard. If you need 14-day data on niche pay-TV channels (CinéMax, Canal+ Sport, OCS), this is worth the $25.
- maxisat-tv-iptv-epg — Specialized in sport. RMC Sport, beIN Sports, L'Équipe, Eurosport with descriptions in French. Refresh: 6h.
- Your provider's Xtream EPG — Most paid French IPTV providers ship a custom XMLTV that's mapped 1:1 with their channel list. Check their dashboard before chasing public sources.
Channel mapping with French names
The classic mapping problem in France: the M3U has "TF1 HD" but the EPG file uses "tf1.fr" or "TF1.fr". OneTV Connect tries three matches in order — exact tvg-id, normalized name, then fuzzy match with confidence threshold. For French channels, normalized matching handles 90% of cases automatically (it strips "HD", "FHD", region suffixes). Long-press a channel to remap manually if the auto match misses; the mapping syncs via iCloud.
Tips for sport and pay-TV channels
- Multiple EPG sources are stacked, not exclusive. Add 2 or 3 XMLTV URLs in Settings → EPG. The first source that has a programme for a given channel and time wins, the rest fill the gaps.
- Don't trust 14-day forecasts on sport channels. French sport schedules change weekly; force a manual refresh on Friday afternoons before the weekend.
- For Sport Centre matching, OneTV Connect uses both the EPG title and the team metadata from TheSportsDB — so even if your EPG just says "Football", we still know it's PSG vs OM and pin the right channel.
The right combo for most French IPTV setups: xmltvfr.fr + maxisat sport. Two URLs, ~12h refresh, near-100% TNT and sport coverage. Add to OneTV Connect via Settings → EPG → Add source and you're done.