A full channel list is great for choice and terrible for speed. Scrolling past hundreds of entries to reach the evening news gets tiring, which is why favourites exist. The trouble starts when several people share one TV. One person adds hockey channels, another adds cooking shows, someone else adds kids’ channels, and soon the favourites list is almost as long as the full list.
This guide offers practical ways to organize favourites so every member of the household can find their channels quickly. The approach you choose depends on your player app and how many TVs you have, so pick what suits your home.
Start with a Short Conversation
Before touching the remote, ask each person to name the five to ten channels they watch most. Write them down. You will probably find overlap, such as a shared news channel or a favourite sports network. That overlap becomes your core list, and everything else can be organized around it.
Option 1: One Shared Favourites List
The simplest approach is a single list that holds everyone’s top channels. It works well for couples and small households.
- Open your player’s live TV section and find the first channel on your list.
- Use the player’s option to add it to favourites. Many players use a long press on the select button or an options menu, though labels vary by app.
- Repeat for each channel on the shared list.
- If the player lets you reorder favourites, put the most watched channels at the top.
Keep the list tight. If it grows past about thirty channels, it starts to lose its purpose.
Option 2: Separate Lists or Profiles
Some player apps support multiple favourites lists, custom groups or user profiles. If yours does, create one per person, such as Mom, Dad, Sam and Kids. Each person then opens their own list and sees only their channels.
Check your player’s settings or help pages to see what it offers. Our guide to IBO Player Pro favourites, groups and EPG shows how this works in one popular player.
Option 3: One TV per Purpose
In homes with several TVs, it can be easiest to set favourites per room. The basement TV gets sports and movies, the kitchen TV gets news and cooking, and the kids’ room gets family channels. Each device keeps its own list. Our multi-room TV setup guide has more ideas for homes with more than one screen.
Let Channel Groups Do Some of the Work
Favourites are not the only shortcut. Most players organize the full lineup into groups, such as news, sports, movies or a particular country or language. If someone in the house watches a whole category rather than a few specific channels, teaching them to jump straight to that group may be simpler than adding dozens of favourites. Keep favourites for individual channels and use groups for broad interests.
Make It Easy for Guests and Grandparents
Visitors and less tech-minded family members appreciate a simple path. A sticky note near the TV with three steps, such as open the player, choose favourites, pick a channel, can save a lot of phone calls. Placing the player app first on the home screen helps too.
Naming Tips That Help
- Use short, clear names for custom lists or groups so they are easy to read from the couch.
- Put a number or symbol at the start of a list name if your player sorts alphabetically, so the most used list appears first.
- For bilingual homes, consider a separate list for French-language channels and one for English, so each viewer finds their language quickly.
Keeping Kids’ Channels Separate
Younger viewers benefit from a short list of their own channels, so they do not wander through the full lineup. Pair this with a PIN on adult groups or settings where your player supports it. Our guide to IBO Player Pro parental controls explains one way to set this up.
Review Every Few Months
Tastes change with the seasons. Hockey fans add channels in the fall, while summer may bring more baseball, golf or travel shows. Set a reminder to review favourites every few months and remove channels nobody watches anymore. A tidy list stays useful.
Troubleshooting Favourites
Favourites Disappeared After an Update
Some app updates or reinstalls reset local data, including favourites. Keep a written list of your core channels so you can rebuild quickly if this happens.
Favourites Are Different on Each TV
Most players store favourites on the device, not in your account. That means each TV keeps its own list. Set them up separately, or use the per-room approach above.
A Favourite Channel Stopped Working
Channel lists can be updated over time. Search for the channel in the full list and add it again. If it seems to be missing entirely, let our support team know.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are favourites saved to my account?
In most players they are saved on the device. Check your player’s documentation to be sure.
How many favourites should we keep?
There is no rule, but lists under about thirty channels stay quick to scroll.
Can each person have their own list?
If your player supports multiple lists, groups or profiles, yes. Otherwise, a shared list or per-room setup works well.
Will favourites carry over to a new device?
Usually not automatically. Plan to recreate them, using your written list as a guide.
Less Scrolling, More Watching
A few minutes of organizing pays off every evening. If you are new to the service, our first steps after subscribing cover the rest of the setup. Device-specific instructions are on our installation page.
