What is an M3U playlist?

Updated October 11, 2026 · 4 min read

If you have ever set up an IPTV player, you have been asked for an "M3U link" or an "M3U file". It sounds technical, but an M3U playlist is just a text file: a list of streams with a little extra information about each one. This guide explains exactly what is inside, what the odd-looking tags mean, and how M3U differs from M3U8.

The short version

An M3U playlist is a plain-text file that tells a media player where to find a set of audio or video streams. Each entry has a name and an address. The player reads the file from top to bottom and turns every entry into a channel you can click. The playlist contains no video itself — it only points to where the video lives.

What is inside an M3U file

Open one in any text editor and you will see something like this (the addresses are placeholders):

#EXTM3U x-tvg-url="https://example.com/guide.xml"
#EXTINF:-1 tvg-id="channel.one" tvg-name="Channel One" tvg-logo="https://example.com/logos/one.png" group-title="News",Channel One
https://example.com/live/channel-one.m3u8
#EXTINF:-1 tvg-id="channel.two" tvg-name="Channel Two" tvg-logo="https://example.com/logos/two.png" group-title="Sports",Channel Two
https://example.com/live/channel-two.m3u8

Line by line:

• #EXTM3U — must be the first line. It marks the file as an "extended" M3U playlist. Some playlists add an x-tvg-url (or the older url-tvg) attribute here, pointing at a TV-guide file. See our guide to the EPG program guide.
• #EXTINF — starts one entry. The -1 means "length unknown", which is normal for live channels. Everything after the final comma is the display name.
• tvg-id — an identifier used to match the channel with its program-guide data.
• tvg-name and tvg-logo — an alternative name and the address of a logo image.
• group-title — the category the channel is filed under (News, Sports, Movies…). This is what a player uses to build its category list.
• The line directly below each #EXTINF — the stream address itself.

M3U vs M3U8: what is the difference?

This is the part that confuses most people, because "M3U8" is used for two different things:

1. A channel playlist saved as UTF-8. M3U8 is simply an M3U file encoded in UTF-8, so channel names can use any language or symbol. When a provider hands you a "playlist.m3u8", this is usually what they mean: a list of channels.
2. An HLS stream manifest. HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) also uses the .m3u8 extension for the small file that lists a video's segments. A stream address ending in .m3u8 inside a playlist is an HLS manifest — the address of one live stream, not a list of channels.

A player handles both without you doing anything differently. The practical rule: a playlist file lists many channels, while an HLS manifest is one channel's video feed. One playlist can contain hundreds of HLS manifests.

Where playlists come from

Playlists are created by whoever organizes the streams: an IPTV service you subscribe to, a broadcaster that publishes its own channels, or you, by writing a file for streams you are entitled to watch. OnTiv does not create, host, sell or recommend any playlist. It is the player, and the content always comes from a source you choose.

Playlist link or playlist file?

You will receive an M3U in one of two ways:

• A link (URL) to a file hosted online. The advantage is that it stays current: when the provider changes the lineup, your player picks up the new list the next time it reloads.
• A file (.m3u or .m3u8) that you keep on your device. It never changes unless you edit it, and it works even when the original link is gone, but you have to import it again to pick up changes.

Editing and checking a playlist

Because a playlist is plain text, you can edit it in any text editor: remove channels, rename them, or change group-title values to reorganize categories. A few rules keep a hand-edited file working:

• Save it as UTF-8.
• Keep each #EXTINF line together with its address, with the address directly underneath and no blank line between them.
• Keep #EXTM3U as the very first line.
• Open the file in a player after editing to confirm it still loads.

Next steps

Ready to try one? Follow how to load a playlist in OnTiv. If your provider gave you a server address, username and password instead of a link, read M3U vs Xtream Codes vs Stalker Portal.