Your EPG shows a small film icon for movies, a football icon for sports, a news icon for news. Icons help you scan faster.
A British IPTV reseller whose EPG includes genre icons (or supports them) makes visual scanning faster. A British IPTV provider with text-only EPG forces you to read every entry.
Here's the usability benefit: icons are processed by the brain faster than words. The IPTV reseller UK who provides genre icons (via rich EPG data) respects that you want to scan, not read. Text-only EPG is slower for everyone.
In most cases, what actually works is looking at the EPG grid. Do you see small icons next to programme titles? A clapperboard for movies, a ball for sports? If yes, rich EPG. If no, basic.
Scenario: you're looking for something to watch. With icons, you scan for the film icon. Found. Without icons, you read each title. Icons are faster by a factor of 3-5x.
I've watched an IPTV reseller UK add genre icons to their EPG. Scanning time dropped. Customers found content faster. The reseller considered it a cheap usability win.
Honestly, test EPG icons. A British IPTV reseller with genre icons has richer metadata. One without assumes you enjoy reading.
A British IPTV reseller who includes EPG icons respects that visual scanning is faster than reading. Icons are a language everyone understands.