diff --git a/package/tvheadend/tvheadend-004-dont-run-compiled-code.patch b/package/tvheadend/tvheadend-004-dont-run-compiled-code.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f559583bf2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/package/tvheadend/tvheadend-004-dont-run-compiled-code.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+support: don't try to run compiled code
+
+When cross-compiling, we can't run the compiled code.
+
+Consider the compiler returning succes as an indication
+it is working.
+
+Signed-off-by: "Yann E. MORIN" <yann.morin.1998@free.fr>
+
+diff -durN tvheadend.orig/support/configure.inc tvheadend-c7d0335eb10d02b780423bef8e7c740e422fff13/support/configure.inc
+--- tvheadend.orig/support/configure.inc	2013-12-01 01:24:26.000000000 +0100
++++ tvheadend-c7d0335eb10d02b780423bef8e7c740e422fff13/support/configure.inc	2013-12-03 22:34:57.547762178 +0100
+@@ -265,8 +265,6 @@
+ EOF
+   $CC $CFLAGS $LDFLAGS $TMPDIR/$$.c -o $TMPDIR/$$.bin $opt #&> /dev/null
+   RET=$?
+-  [ $RET -eq 0 ] && $TMPDIR/$$.bin
+-  RET=$?
+   rm -f $TMPDIR/$$.{c,bin}
+   return $RET
+ }
diff --git a/package/tvheadend/tvheadend.mk b/package/tvheadend/tvheadend.mk
index 1713d58fd4..43bc382d89 100644
--- a/package/tvheadend/tvheadend.mk
+++ b/package/tvheadend/tvheadend.mk
@@ -22,6 +22,28 @@ endif
 # scan files installed by the dvb-apps package
 TVHEADEND_DEPENDENCIES     += dvb-apps
 
+define TVHEADEND_CONFIGURE_CMDS
+	(cd $(@D);				\
+	 $(TARGET_CONFIGURE_OPTS)		\
+	 $(TARGET_CONFIGURE_ARGS)		\
+	 ./configure				\
+	 --prefix=/usr				\
+	 --cc="$(TARGET_CC)"			\
+	 --cflags="$(TARGET_CFLAGS)"		\
+	 --arch="$(ARCH)"			\
+	 --cpu="$(BR2_GCC_TARGET_CPU)"		\
+	 --python="$(HOST_DIR)/usr/bin/python"	\
+	)
+endef
+
+define TVHEADEND_BUILD_CMDS
+	$(MAKE) -C $(@D)
+endef
+
+define TVHEADEND_INSTALL_TARGET_CMDS
+	$(MAKE) -C $(@D) DESTDIR="$(TARGET_DIR)" install
+endef
+
 #----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # To run tvheadend, we need:
 #  - a startup script, and its config file
@@ -43,7 +65,4 @@ define TVHEADEND_USERS
 tvheadend -1 tvheadend -1 * /home/tvheadend - video TVHeadend daemon
 endef
 
-#----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-# tvheadend is not an autotools-based package, but it is possible to
-# call its ./configure script as if it were an autotools one.
-$(eval $(autotools-package))
+$(eval $(generic-package))