What Is an EPG and Why Linear Channels Need One

An EPG (electronic program guide) is the schedule viewers see when they browse channels: what is on now, what comes next and when. On FAST and OTT platforms, the EPG is how a channel presents itself in the guide next to every other channel.

What an EPG contains

• Program titles and descriptions.
• Start and end times for each item.
• Often images, categories and ratings, depending on the platform.

Why it matters

• Discovery: viewers decide what to watch from the guide. A blank or generic entry gets skipped.
• Platform requirements: distribution platforms usually ask for schedule data in a specific format before carrying a channel.
• Trust: if the guide says one thing and the channel shows another, viewers notice.

Keep the guide and the playout in sync

The most common EPG problem is drift: the playout changes but the guide does not. The safest approach is to generate the guide from the same schedule that drives the playout, so changes to the schedule update both.

Formats

Platforms accept schedule data in different formats; XMLTV is a widely used one. Each platform defines what it accepts, so check its onboarding requirements.

EPG in Fast Monkey One

Fast Monkey One runs 24/7 linear playout with playlists and date/time scheduling, and includes logo, slates, alerts and an electronic program guide. Outputs and integrations are defined per channel in the requirements session.

Read: What is a FAST channel · Read: Video playout software for broadcasters