diff --git a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/epg-query.service.spec.ts b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/epg-query.service.spec.ts
index 8db5fbaca..5139701dc 100644
--- a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/epg-query.service.spec.ts
+++ b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/epg-query.service.spec.ts
@@ -463,4 +463,58 @@ describe('EpgQueryService', () => {
         expect(result).toHaveLength(1);
         expect(result[0].title).toBe('Mapped Programme');
     });
+
+    it('collapses duplicate programme slots from multiple sources in an unscoped lookup', async () => {
+        const whereCalls: unknown[] = [];
+        const dupRow = {
+            id: 1,
+            channelId: 'bbc.one.uk',
+            start: '2026-06-21T20:00:00.000Z',
+            stop: '2026-06-21T21:00:00.000Z',
+            title: 'News',
+            description: null,
+            category: null,
+            iconUrl: null,
+            rating: null,
+            episodeNum: null,
+        };
+        const programChain = {
+            from: jest.fn(() => ({
+                where: jest.fn(() => ({
+                    orderBy: jest.fn(() => ({
+                        limit: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue([
+                            { ...dupRow, sourceUrl: 'https://a.example/g.xml' },
+                            { ...dupRow, id: 2, sourceUrl: 'https://b.example/g.xml' },
+                        ]),
+                    })),
+                })),
+            })),
+        };
+
+        const select = jest
+            .fn()
+            // getMapping direct + Xtream fallback — both miss.
+            .mockReturnValueOnce(createLimitedSelectChain([], whereCalls))
+            .mockReturnValueOnce({
+                from: jest.fn(() => ({
+                    innerJoin: jest.fn(function inner() {
+                        return this;
+                    }),
+                    where: jest.fn(() => ({
+                        orderBy: jest.fn(() => ({
+                            limit: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue([]),
+                        })),
+                    })),
+                })),
+            })
+            // selectChannelPrograms — two sources, same channel/start/title.
+            .mockReturnValueOnce(programChain);
+
+        getDatabase.mockResolvedValue({ select });
+
+        const result = await service.getChannelPrograms('bbc.one.uk');
+
+        expect(result).toHaveLength(1);
+        expect(result[0].title).toBe('News');
+    });
 });
diff --git a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/epg-query.service.ts b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/epg-query.service.ts
index 471721ceb..ca68945e5 100644
--- a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/epg-query.service.ts
+++ b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/epg-query.service.ts
@@ -68,9 +68,7 @@ export class EpgQueryService {
             }
 
             if (results.length > 0) {
-                return results
-                    .map(this.transformDbRowToEpgProgram)
-                    .filter(this.isValidEpgProgram);
+                return this.toEpgPrograms(results);
             }
 
             let channel = await this.selectChannelById(
@@ -101,9 +99,7 @@ export class EpgQueryService {
                 }
 
                 if (results.length > 0) {
-                    return results
-                        .map(this.transformDbRowToEpgProgram)
-                        .filter(this.isValidEpgProgram);
+                    return this.toEpgPrograms(results);
                 }
             }
 
@@ -153,9 +149,7 @@ export class EpgQueryService {
                     );
                 }
 
-                return results
-                    .map(this.transformDbRowToEpgProgram)
-                    .filter(this.isValidEpgProgram);
+                return this.toEpgPrograms(results);
             }
 
             return [];
@@ -894,6 +888,31 @@ export class EpgQueryService {
         );
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Map program rows to EpgProgram and drop invalid ones, then collapse
+     * duplicate programme slots. The dedup index is source-aware, so an
+     * unscoped lookup (e.g. the M3U timeline, which queries without
+     * `sourceUrls`) can return the same channel/start/title from two EPG
+     * sources; keep the first so a programme is never shown twice.
+     */
+    private toEpgPrograms(rows: EpgProgramRow[]): EpgProgram[] {
+        const seen = new Set<string>();
+        const programs: EpgProgram[] = [];
+        for (const row of rows) {
+            const program = this.transformDbRowToEpgProgram(row);
+            if (!this.isValidEpgProgram(program)) {
+                continue;
+            }
+            const key = `${program.channel}|${program.start}|${program.title}`;
+            if (seen.has(key)) {
+                continue;
+            }
+            seen.add(key);
+            programs.push(program);
+        }
+        return programs;
+    }
+
     private transformDbRowToEpgProgram(row: EpgProgramRow): EpgProgram {
         return {
             start: row.start,
diff --git a/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/services/epg-queue-invalidation.spec.ts b/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/services/epg-queue-invalidation.spec.ts
index 6e47877b7..1318b7729 100644
--- a/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/services/epg-queue-invalidation.spec.ts
+++ b/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/services/epg-queue-invalidation.spec.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ describe('EpgQueueService invalidation', () => {
         shouldFetch: (streamId: number) => boolean;
         xmltvPreviewByStreamId: Map<number, EpgItem>;
         epgChannelByStreamId: Map<number, string>;
+        inFlight: Set<number>;
     };
 
     beforeEach(() => {
@@ -116,4 +117,25 @@ describe('EpgQueueService invalidation', () => {
         expect(emitted).not.toContain(707);
         sub.unsubscribe();
     });
+
+    it('leaves a fresh in-flight marker intact when a stale request completes', async () => {
+        let resolveA!: (items: EpgItem[]) => void;
+        xtreamApi.getShortEpg.mockReturnValue(
+            new Promise<EpgItem[]>((resolve) => {
+                resolveA = resolve;
+            })
+        );
+
+        const aPromise = priv().fetchEpg(credentials, 909);
+        // Mapping changes mid-flight; a re-enqueue (request B) then starts and
+        // takes ownership of the in-flight marker.
+        service.invalidate(909);
+        priv().inFlight.add(909);
+
+        resolveA([makeItem('rtl.de', 'Stale')]);
+        await aPromise;
+
+        // Request A was stale, so its finally must not clear B's marker.
+        expect(priv().inFlight.has(909)).toBe(true);
+    });
 });
diff --git a/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/services/epg-queue.service.ts b/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/services/epg-queue.service.ts
index 21dd782c1..3e3b71e92 100644
--- a/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/services/epg-queue.service.ts
+++ b/libs/portal/xtream/data-access/src/lib/services/epg-queue.service.ts
@@ -363,7 +363,14 @@ export class EpgQueueService implements OnDestroy {
                 error
             );
         } finally {
-            this.inFlight.delete(streamId);
+            // Only release the in-flight marker if this request still owns it.
+            // When invalidate() cleared it mid-flight, a later re-enqueue may
+            // already have started a new request for the same stream; an
+            // unconditional delete here would drop that request's marker and
+            // let a third concurrent fetch start.
+            if (!isStale()) {
+                this.inFlight.delete(streamId);
+            }
         }
     }