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How To Stream IPTV on Kodi with PVR IPTV Simple Client (2022)

Have you been wanting to cut the cord from expensive cable and satellite bills but still be able to watch all your favorite live TV channels? Do you wish you could take unlimited access to sports, news, movies and more with you wherever you go? Well, my friend, IPTV on Kodi may be the perfect solution for you!

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll explain everything you need to know about streaming IPTV on the popular media center app Kodi using the PVR IPTV Simple Client add-on. With just a few steps, you can turn Kodi into an ultimate live TV streaming machine on any device!

What Exactly is IPTV?

Let‘s start with the basics – IPTV stands for Internet Protocol Television.

Instead of relying on traditional cable, fiber, or satellite services, IPTV delivers live TV channels over your regular internet connection. All you need is an IPTV provider, their M3U channel list URL, and a streaming device to get blazing fast HD streams sent directly to you.

According to ResearchAndMarkets.com, the global IPTV market size is poised to grow by $104.17 billion between 2022 and 2026. That‘s a massive amount of growth and represents the increasingly high demand for IPTV services.

With IPTV, you can slash your bloated cable bill and save big bucks without sacrificing access to all your favorite channels. Plus, it works on practically any internet-connected device like smartphones, tablets, computers, streaming boxes, smart TVs, and more.

But in this guide, we‘re going to focus on using one of the most versatile platforms available – Kodi.

Why Choose Kodi for Streaming IPTV?

Kodi is an open source home theater software that has been around for over 20 years. Available on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, and more, Kodi brings all your media together into a gorgeous, unified interface.

Here are some of the awesome benefits of using Kodi for streaming IPTV services:

  • Consolidate Everything – Access live TV, recordings, streaming apps, local media, music, and more from one simple interface on any device.

  • Highly Customizable – Choose from thousands of skins and tweak Kodi to your heart‘s delight with customizable menus, widgets and layout options.

  • Cross-Platform Power – Enjoy a consistent experience across Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, Raspberry Pi, and other platforms.

  • Hardware Flexible – Use IPTV even on low-powered streaming sticks, mini PCs, and older devices. No need for fancy new gadgets!

  • Powerful PVR Features – Record and timeshift live TV thanks to Kodi‘s personal video recording capabilities.

  • Free and Open Source – Kodi is completely free with no subscription or purchase required. Plus, being open source means added security and transparency.

Those benefits combined make Kodi a fantastic choice for live TV streaming. But enough background, let‘s get into how to set this up step-by-step!

IPTV on Kodi Prerequisites

Before we get started, you‘ll need to get the following ready:

  • A compatible version of Kodi installed – I recommend the latest Kodi 19 "Matrix" or newer for best performance.
  • An IPTV subscription – Choose a provider that specifically states Kodi compatibility and gives M3U playlist access. More details on selecting a service below.
  • The PVR IPTV Simple Client add-on in Kodi – This connects your subscription to Kodi.

Don‘t worry if you‘re missing any of these components, I‘ll cover how to get set up with each one next.

Step 1: Install Kodi on Your Device

Since this guide is all about transforming Kodi into the ultimate IPTV streaming machine, the first logical step is getting Kodi ready to go!

Kodi is available on pretty much any device you could want to stream IPTV from including:

  • Windows PCs
  • Mac computers
  • Linux
  • Android phones and tablets
  • iPhone and iPad
  • Raspberry Pi
  • Amazon Fire TV Stick
  • NVIDIA SHIELD
  • And many more!

I always recommend installing the latest stable version of Kodi 19 "Matrix" if your device supports it. Older Kodi releases may be missing codecs or other technology needed to smoothly play IPTV streams.

Here are quick links to download and install Kodi on popular platforms:

For other devices, visit the Official Kodi Website and browse to the Downloads section for specifics on installing.

Once you have Kodi ready to rock, it‘s time to pick out an IPTV service.

Step 2: Choose and Sign Up for an IPTV Provider

Now that Kodi is prepped and waiting, the next ingredient we need is an IPTV subscription.

There are hundreds of IPTV providers out there offering live TV channel packages starting as low as $5 month. Paid options generally offer more reliable streams, better video quality, and faster support compared to free services.

According to a Sandvine report, sports content accounted for 71% of downstream traffic for fixed access IPTV subscribers in 2021. No surprise there – sports fans are one of the biggest drivers of IPTV demand.

When researching options, look for a provider that specifically supports Kodi integration and provides an M3U playlist URL. Many IPTV services cater towards their own proprietary apps and may not work smoothly within Kodi.

Below I‘ve highlighted some top-rated IPTV services known to excel with Kodi using the PVR IPTV Simple Client add-on:

Rapid IPTV

  • Over 5,500 channels
  • Comprehensive USA, UK, and Canada channel lineups
  • Reasonable pricing starting at $7/month
  • Visit Rapid IPTV

Prime IPTV

  • Focus on UK, USA, Canadian and Latino channels
  • Excellent value at just £5/month
  • Timeshift and VOD capabilities
  • Visit Prime IPTV

Eternal TV

  • Massive selection of international channels
  • Multi-connection and multi-room options
  • Reliable HD streams with low latency
  • Visit Eternal TV

Once signed up with the IPTV provider of your choice, you‘ll want to make note of the M3U playlist URL inside your account dashboard. This unique address allows Kodi to grab all the channel data.

Some services provide region or language-specific M3U lists – choose the one appropriate for you.

Got your Kodi app ready and IPTV subscription in hand? You‘ve done the hard work, now let‘s configure Kodi!

Step 3: Install PVR IPTV Simple Client Add-on

This add-on for Kodi serves as the bridge between your IPTV subscription and Kodi. Without it, Kodi won‘t be able to interface with the IPTV streams.

Here‘s how to install it:

  1. Launch Kodi and click on Add-ons in the main menu.
  2. Select Install from repository.
  3. Choose the PVR addons repository.
  4. Go to the PVR clients section.
  5. Find and install the PVR IPTV Simple Client add-on.
  6. Once installed, go back to the main menu and launch the add-on.
  7. Click Configure to open the settings.

And that‘s it! The add-on is now in place and ready to connect. Next, we‘ll input the all-important playlist URL and EPG URL.

Step-by-Step IPTV Setup in PVR IPTV Simple Client

With Kodi prepped and our IPTV subscription secured, we can now head into the PVR IPTV Simple Client settings to hook everything up.

Follow these steps:

  1. Under the General tab, find the M3U Play List URL field.

  2. Paste your IPTV provider‘s M3U playlist link here, making sure to insert your account credentials if required. It will usually look something like:

    http://domain.com:1234/get.php?username=abcd&password=1234&type=m3u
  3. Many providers also supply a playlist URL specifically for the EPG TV guide data. Under EPG Settings, insert the XMLTV URL if you have one.

  4. Click OK to save the M3U and EPG URL fields.

  5. You‘ll get a popup that the add-on needs to restart to apply the changes. Click OK again.

This will refresh PVR IPTV Simple Client and start loading in all your subscription‘s channels. Give it a minute or two to fetch the data.

And that‘s it! The add-on will display a notification when all channels are loaded and ready for streaming.

Now comes the fun part – watching unlimited live TV through Kodi!

Watching IPTV on Kodi – Live TV and TV Guide

With everything configured, we can finally reap the rewards and start streaming live channels using the PVR IPTV Simple Client add-on.

There are two main ways to watch your IPTV subscription in Kodi:

Option 1: Live TV

  1. Enter the PVR section in Kodi‘s main menu.

  2. Select Live TV to access your full channel lineup.

  3. Browse channels and use your remote or keyboard to tune into the one you want.

The Live TV interface gives you quick access to start flipping through channels immediately like a traditional TV guide.

Option 2: TV Guide

  1. Go to the PVR section.

  2. Choose Guide to open the Kodi TV guide.

  3. You‘ll see your IPTV channels listed by time slot just like a cable box.

  4. Pick a current or upcoming show and click to start watching!

The TV Guide view allows you to view schedules, search channels, schedule recordings – everything you expect from a DVR or set-top box.

And there you have it – thanks to the power of Kodi and PVR IPTV Simple Client, you now have a world of crystal clear live TV channels available right at your fingertips!

Tips for Resolving Issues

IPTV on Kodi working smoothly right off the bat? Awesome!

But don‘t worry if you experience any hiccups along the way – IPTV and Kodi combine a lot of moving parts so occasional troubleshooting is normal.

Here are some handy tips if you encounter problems getting your IPTV subscription to function in Kodi:

  • Double and triple check that the M3U URL is entered perfectly. One wrong character can break everything.

  • Try restarting Kodi and force refreshing the PVR IPTV Simple Client add-on.

  • It could be a temporary issue with the IPTV provider‘s server. Try again a bit later.

  • Check that your internet connection is fast and stable enough for IPTV streaming.

  • On Hotel or college WiFi networks, you may need to adjust port settings or use a VPN.

  • Make sure your IPTV subscription is active and delivering smooth streams outside of Kodi.

  • Test with a short-term subscription from a different provider if problems persist.

  • Ask the Kodi forum community – they‘re always happy to help!

With some standard troubleshooting, you should be able to get your IPTV service running like a champ in Kodi. Reach out in the comments below if any issues pop up!

Closing Thoughts

Well my friend, we‘ve covered a lot of ground here in this step-by-step guide! Here‘s a quick recap:

  • IPTV provides affordable live TV streaming over the internet to any device.

  • Kodi is an awesome free and open source media center app for accessing all your media.

  • Combining IPTV with Kodi gives you a unified hub for live TV, recordings, streaming apps, music, and much more!

  • The PVR IPTV Simple Client add-on connects your IPTV provider‘s playlist channels into Kodi.

  • Following the detailed steps outlined above, you can get IPTV working flawlessly in Kodi in under 15 minutes!

I hope this guide has shown how much potential there is in using Kodi for live TV streaming. The ability to integrate all your favorite content sources for free is so empowering.

You now have the tools and knowledge needed to cut the cord with expensive cable and satellite. Take control of your TV viewing experience on your own terms!

Have fun with unlimited sports, movies, shows, news, and more! If you found this guide helpful, feel free to share it with others interested in streaming IPTV on Kodi.

Now grab the popcorn and get streaming!

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