What Is an M3U Playlist, and How Do I Use One?

M3U (and its variant M3U8) is a plain-text playlist format. Rather than containing video files itself, an M3U file is just a list of stream addresses with a bit of metadata — a name, sometimes a logo, sometimes a group label.

Where the playlist comes from

LoomiTV doesn't generate or supply M3U playlists. You'll need a playlist URL from wherever you already source your media — a personal media server, a self-hosted setup, or a provider you already use. LoomiTV's job starts once you have that URL.

Adding it to LoomiTV

In LoomiTV, choose "M3U Playlist" as your connection type and paste the URL directly, or select a local .m3u/.m3u8 file if your provider gives you a downloadable file instead of a link. LoomiTV parses the list and builds out categories automatically based on the group labels in the file.

Common issues

• URL expired — some providers rotate playlist URLs periodically; you may need a fresh link.
• No group labels — if your playlist has no group metadata, everything will appear in a single unsorted list.
• Wrong file extension — LoomiTV expects .m3u or .m3u8; other playlist formats aren't supported.